


Desert Secrets

by Kirabaros



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: Crime Scenes, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:40:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 46,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26798221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirabaros/pseuds/Kirabaros
Summary: Sage Parker is back and on a new case involving a nineteen year old boy and a possible abuse case. Chasing down leads with her partner Nick Stokes and friend Warrick Brown, they uncover more than what they may have bargained for in the deserts of Nevada.
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

The Vegas skyline looked beautiful even when the lightning flashed in the sky. It was comparable to the city that never sleeps aka New York. In fact it could rival New York since it was Vegas; it was Sin City and had history of sorts… if you were into the whole thing about the gangsters making the town.

It was a typical night for the usual types of things that went on, which was a bit unusual for a Sunday evening. For Sage Parker, it was something to get used to but then again she was familiar with the crazies in the French Quarter so she wasn’t one to talk about that. At least in a setting that was familiar, she felt at home.

She was scheduled to start her shift at eleven that night. Traditionally it would be considered madness to be working on a Sunday but considering the fact that she had a pending case to finish evidence analysis and as well as the usual paperwork associated with that. Plus there was the case she had been working on with Warrick to work on with the DNA samples. She had a full load and was considering working a double but for now she was enjoying evening service.

Having been in Vegas a few months working at the lab… it had been a rather interesting time trying to find a place of worship. One of the things that threw people for a spin was that Sage was a firm believer. She was a Christian and she had paraphilia she wore like a Goth, a very mild form as she insisted, and she was a scientist. It was a walking contradiction and one that she had fun exploiting to the surprise of people. Certainly it was funny when her favorite lab rat caught her saying a short prayer over her lunch one shift.

Sage looked down at her lap at the Bible she had since she was twelve at the text that was the guiding point for the sermon. She pushed her glasses up on her nose to keep them from slipping and ran her finger along the text. Tonight’s sermon was a nice reminder about the basic tenets she tried to live by and she couldn’t help but get a little humorous about the whole row of love that was available in terms of shotgun weddings.

Service finished on time and Sage was walking out the door. It was eight o’clock, roughly three hours before her shift started. There was time to get something to eat before heading in maybe an hour early. It was a nice start unlike starting pulling a double like the Braun case even though that was a bit of a doozy. It was a sad thing though that one brother killed the other. It made her rethink how her relationship with Cassie was as it stood. At least it was better than that. She had no desire to kill her little sister but just wished that she was more responsible.

It was wishful thinking and Sage brushed it aside. At least Cassie quit pestering her at work with her messages. Sage tucked her Bible under her arm and headed towards her car. Maybe she might be nice and buy a cup for her partner knowing that it would be a set up for a round of bantering that would probably drive Grissom crazy. She was almost to her car when there was a squeal of tires and it sounded close.

Looking up Sage saw a black SUV round the corner and burning serious rubber. A door was open and something was falling out. It turned out to be a body and it landed with a dull thud and the SUV gunned the engine. It didn’t get very far since it ran the light at the intersection and was instantly T-boned by a semi.

Sage blinked as she pulled out her cell and dialed in, “Dispatch this is CSI Sage Parker, I got a 401B at the Calvary Chapel off the strip, possible 419s. Multiple drivers.”

She went over to check on the driver of the SUV and the semi. The semi driver looked stunned and ready to vomit. The drive of the SUV was unconscious and bleeding from the head. She peered into the SUV and pressed a finger to the neck to check. As she was doing so she felt a hand grab her shoulder.

It was reaction to yelp slightly and turn around to see who or what touched her. She turned and found a man, roughly in his twenties grabbing a hold of her. He was saying, “Please help me. They have her.”

The guy started to grow faint and Sage reached out and grab him. She was still on the phone and continued, “Dispatch, send paramedics, we also have a 421.” She ended up dropping the phone when the guy slipped in her grip and she reached out to steady him. She noted the blood was that coming from his head and his eyes were glassy. Any other injuries she couldn’t see.

Sage looked around and noticed the crowd. Some were on their phones and calling 9-1-1 and others were just being onlookers. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It was the same anywhere; accidents drew nosy butts like moths to a flame.

The guy moaned and Sage said, “I got ya. Paramedics are coming.” She looked around as the hiss of the heated water came up and she heard it. There were other sounds all around. It was almost like chaos.

“They have her. Need to find her…” the guy managed to breathe in before he passed out.

Sage held on even though the guy started to slip. She started to lower him towards the ground, trying not to do more damage to any evidence. She looked around as she heard the first signs of paramedics coming. She looked around and quoted one of her favorite hymns, “Come fount of blessing.”

~0~0~

Warrick got out of the black Tahoe on the driver side and looked at the scene. He could make out the semi sitting there and a black SUV. The hood was smoking water or whatever was leaking. The passenger side was caved in, point of impact. He could see a gurney with a victim being loaded into an ambulance. _Gotta be the 421_ , he thought.

“Hey, looking pretty grim,” Nick said as he pulled his kit out from his side of the Tahoe.

“Yeah,” Warrick replied in agreement as he went to grab his kit. “And I was looking forward to a quiet night.”

“You and me both,” Nick replied in agreement. He started following Warrick to where Jim Brass was getting statements. He looked around and noticed something familiar in the parking lot next to the church. He frowned a bit since he was sure that he knew that vehicle from somewhere but… He shook his head and walked to where Warrick was talking to Brass.

“So what have we got?” Warrick was looking at Brass knowing that Nick would take his cue to start photographing the scene.

Brass looked at Nick as he started getting to work and then turned back towards Warrick, “SUV comes barreling down the road to dump a body. Burns rubber and heads for the intersection. Runs a red light and…”

Warrick could get the picture. “Yeah. Semi versus SUV; not much to bet on who wins.” He could visualize the accident as it occurred.

“Got that right,” Brass replied, “Anyway two bodies heading to Desert Palms and the other to the morgue. Do you want to bet on who the stiff is?”

Warrick looked at Brass with a slight look. Nick was already photographing the body in the SUV. “So who called it in?”

Brass looked at Warrick with a frown, “Didn’t you get the call?” When Warrick looked back at him with a confused look and the response that it was 9-1-1, Brass shook his head, “Dispatch got a call before the first 9-1-1. Parker called it in.”

“Parker?” Warrick wheeled around and looked for the subject in question. He found her standing with the reporting officer, giving her statement. She was covered in blood. He walked over to her as she finished giving her statement and asked, “Hey you trying to run for sheriff?”

Sage looked up at Warrick and replied, “Very funny Warrick. What a way to begin the shift.” She gave a sigh as she looked at the scene.

“Yeah but it looks like you got a piece of it before it actually started,” Warrick replied pointing at her clothes. “EMTs check you out?”

Sage looked at her clothing and noticed the blood. She had been so preoccupied she had forgotten about it until the EMTs asked her about it. She said, “Oh it’s not mine. It’s belongs to the guy that got pushed out of the SUV before it sped through the intersection and…” She motioned at the semi still sitting there. “Truck driver is in shock and the body thrown out…”

“Okay, okay,” Warrick countered with a gesture to calm Sage down. “We’re gonna need your clothes. Evidence.”

Sage sighed and looked at her clothes. She could see the blood and knew what that meant. “Yeap I know the drill.” She let Warrick lead her over to the EMT still there after getting the coveralls from the Tahoe. She hopped in and said as she took off her jacket, “You know if you wanted to get me to take my clothes off, you could’ve asked me out.”

Warrick chuckled as he stood with his back turned. He took the jacket and noted the nice look of the jacket and the cut. It was the kind that flared above the hips. It was definitely worn with the idea to drive Nick crazy since Greg would notice and start with the flirting. He replied, “Yeah I know we’re tight but I’m not your type.”

“Who says you weren’t?” Sage replied as she removed her outer shirt and handed it over. She was glad she was wearing a tank top underneath. “Tall, handsome, and definitely knows how to talk to the ladies.”

Warrick accepted the shirt and the jeans that followed. He gave a slight smile, “Sounds familiar. Do I know this guy?”

“Yeah,” Sage replied as she emerged fitting the sleeves of the coveralls over her shoulders. She turned to look at Warrick and finished, “He’s a good friend of mine and killer on the dance floor.”

Warrick looked at Sage as she finished zippering up. She looked like she was getting ready to process a vehicle in the evidence garage and doing a good job of keeping it together. He returned the look with a slight smile and replied, “Yeah well you weren’t so bad yourself.”

“Maybe we should do it again,” Sage replied.

“Maybe,” Warrick replied, “When you have time in between what trouble you and Greggo get into.” He then noticed something on her right ring finger. He noticed the ring and something was on it. “Parker, I’m gonna need your ring too.”

Sage looked at her ring and spotted the blood. She slowly pulled it off and looked at it. She then handed it over to Warrick who sealed it in an evidence bag. “Can you take care of it for me? I would like it back when it’s cleared.”

Warrick saw the earnest look on her face and nodded, “Sure thing Parker. Listen uh… why don’t you log in and take field notes? I’ll let Grissom know.”

“Eyes but no hands,” Sage replied agreeing. She sighed again as she pulled a set of gloves and took the clipboard. “My kind of case.”

“Least your handwriting is better than mine.”

“Kiss ass.” At the look Warrick shot her, Sage gave a slight smirk as she followed him back to the scene. She greeted Brass, “Hey Jim.”

“Hey Parker. Reporting officer just gave me the details. Thanks,” Brass replied giving a slight reassuring smile. He then went to continue questioning witnesses leaving the two CSIs to get to work with one following the other.

****

Nick looked at the area near the SUV. There was a lot of debris from the vehicles colliding. Not much in terms of other materials. He stayed near the SUV and looked around. It was dark but with his light, he was able to find some bits of what looked like blood. Kneeling he peered to take a closer look at the drops.

It looked consistent but wanting to be sure, Nick took the Q-tip and rubbed some of it into the blood. Doing a quick field test revealed that it was blood. So it was a bag and tag on that as well as photographing the drops. It was while he was photographing the drops that he noticed something else that had been partially hidden under the SUV.

On his knees, Nick peered underneath and saw what looked like a book and possibly a cell phone. Reaching for the phone, he pulled it out. It appeared scuffed like it had been dropped and it bounced and slid under the vehicle when it hit the dirt. It was consistent with the officer’s report that someone had been at the SUV checking on the driver. The book was evident of that too.

Pulling out the book Nick slowly turned it over. The cover had scuffing from the asphalt as well as dirt. It looked like there might be some blood as well or fluid from the vehicle. Trace would have to deal with that one. Turning it over he noticed the title of the book in gold gilt lettering in the worn brown leather. “Holy Bible,” Nick read. “Looks like someone was being a good Samaritan.”

Out of curiosity, Nick opened the cover to find a dedication page. He peered at the curlicue script and frowned to make out the writing. It was fairly elegant like fancy engravings. Taking the time, he managed to read, “O Come Fount of Blessing our dearest granddaughter Sage Anne Parker.”

As soon as he read the inscription, Nick frowned and looked around. Could it be? “Parker? Were you the one that called it in?”

One thought led to another since there was blood nearby. He needed to know if she was hurt or not. He continued to look around and spotted Warrick. Taking the Bible with him after noting its location and bagging it along with the cell phone, he walked up to Warrick and asked, “Hey, Rick, did you get who called it in?”

Warrick looked at Nick and saw him holding two bags. “Yeah, Parker called it in.”

“She all right? I found blood over by the SUV.”

“I’m fine Stokes,” Sage said as she stepped into view, following Warrick with a clipboard. “Blood’s not mine. It’s belongs to the guy they took to Desert Palms. Was thrown out before that. Dump was over there.” She pointed over to where she saw the body getting dumped.

Nick looked in the direction Sage pointed in and then at Warrick. They shared a look while Sage was writing down something. “I’ll go check it out. You coming Parker?”

Sage looked at Warrick with a look. He said, “Notes only. Grissom’s words.”

Sage nodded and said, “Eyes but no hands.” She shifted everything over to get a clean set of notes and followed Nick over to the second site. She stood behind Nick as he started an initial look at the scene. “Don’t go assuming I did this on purpose now.”

“I wasn’t assuming anything,” Nick replied as he shone his light. He was able to find some blood as well as what looked like some clothing. “I thought you were in trouble when I found your phone and the blood.”

“Aww were you concerned?” Sage teased gently as she stood poised to write.

“At the rate trouble follows you,” Nick replied with a slight smile. “I’m glad you’re okay.” He then got set to collect. He cleared his throat and said, “Looks like an initial blood spatter when the body hit the pavement. Some bits of clothing.”

“Probably ripped upon impact or already falling off,” Sage offered as she made notes of numbers and photographs.

“Maybe,” Nick offered in agreement.

Sage looked as Nick was looking. She couldn’t collect but she could take notes and it wasn’t like she had to go anywhere since Warrick collected evidence off her and the hospital had been notified about the guy that grabbed her.

“I found a Bible.”

Sage directed her attention to Nick. Now that things had calmed down a bit, she was able to process the events that had happened. “Oh that is mine.”

“You read the Bible?”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

Nick sat back on his heels to look at Sage. She was writing but she stopped when she realized that he was looking at her. At her look he asked again, “You read the Bible?”

“Yeah,” Sage replied frowning.

“And attend service?”

“Your point?”

“Nothing,” Nick replied in a manner designed to cover his curiosity. Of course that wasn’t enough to hide from the look that Sage was handing him. He gave a smile and continued, “You wear dog collars, listen to Greggo’s Marilyn Manson, and you work at a crime lab.”

“I know. Walking contradiction,” Sage replied returning the smile with one of her own. She started back into her writing but there was nothing to write.

“At face value,” Nick countered. “Just something not expected since we deal with science and you know the whole thing about scientists.”

Sage stopped pretending to write since it was pointless. She adjusted the clipboard and pretended she was working. Finally she said, “Religion is the explanation of man’s search for the ultimate truth. Many of those intervention groups call it a higher power. Sort of like science.” She gave a slight wry smile at that.

“I take it you’ve had time to think about this?”

“Since I was twelve. Before that I was the full on accept everything your parents say.”

“What changed your mind?”

“Science camp,” Sage replied giving a slight smile. “And a very interesting talk between me and a priest with a chemistry degree.” She went forward with taking observation notes leaving Nick to figure that one out. She chuckled when she noticed him think about it and then go back to work. She knew he was going to think about it for a while and keep it on the back of his mind while his concentration was on the case.

“You know Grissom’s philosophy is the shortest distance is science.”

“I know,” Sage replied as she looked around and described the scene in the notes. “But I’ll leave it to you to figure out how I negotiate that. Just follow the evidence.” She grinned as she heard Nick chuckle. It was a private joke of an ongoing dare to find out about each other especially if either one found something the other didn’t know or it was strange and unusual. She won the first round with their voodoo/cartel case. Since then it was more of a game.

Nick chuckled as he recognized a challenge. It was only fair since the last one he accidentally revealed a slightly embarrassing detail about his college days and she was all over it. When he realized she wasn’t going to let up on it, he challenged her to uncover it within a specific timeframe. The betting was simple and harmless but he was forced to endure some ribbing and the picture she took… He had no idea how she did it. “What’s the betting?”

“Solve it by the time you get your ducks lined up in a row and I’ll explain about the priest with the chemistry degree. I win, you accompany me to a free time event of my choosing.” Sage narrowed her eyes playfully. “Unless of course you’re not up to it.”

“You’re on Parker but I also want to add that in addition to the story you have to do something picture worthy for a time,” Nick pointed out.

Sage thought about it for a time. She liked to play fair. “Alright. I guess I should give ya a chance to get ahead,” she teased right back. The grin she was wearing though changed quickly as she spotted something that was slightly behind Nick.

Nick noticed the change in Sage’s demeanor. He wasn’t sure if she was remembering the scene or what so he asked, “Don’t tell me you’re backing out.”

Sage was still frowning as she stepped around the scene. She squatted to look and replied, “Oh no. We’re still on for the bet. Just looking at something that might help.”

Nick turned to look at what she was looking at. He followed her gaze to the asphalt and what was on the ground. It was then he spotted it. He had missed it on his first run and looking at the way the lighting was, he could see why it would be easy to miss. He looked at Sage and noticed that she was staring at the object. He knew she wasn’t supposed to handle evidence, just logging and taking field notes but the look in her face was not the kind she would have when she sniffed out a piece of evidence. This was totally different and he could pick up traces of what looked like fear or something. “Parker? Hey Parker?”

Sage stared at the object on the ground. She thought that the guy that grabbed her was rambling about something. She had had seen it before where victims were traumatized, they would mix up prior events with current ones. Yet seeing that was having her seriously reconsider what her previous thoughts were.

_Help her… please._

It was a little doll. It wasn’t large and easily missed on this street. It was raggedy like it was handmade and probably from materials that were available. It was unmistakably a doll thought. Sage remembered when she used to make them for Cassie since she was the one interested in dolls and when they were kids it was just her and her sister and she was always interested in the sports so she had to improvise.

“Parker?”

Sage looked at Nick as he noted the doll and had reached for a pair of tweezers. She was startled and started writing the details. She almost didn’t hear Nick’s inquiry as she snapped out of it, “Sorry, just thinking.”

“You seem to be doing that a lot. You sure you don’t want to sit this one out?” Nick eyed Sage with a worried look.

Sage was looking at the doll and thinking about what happened earlier. “I’m good but can you answer me one question?”

“Shoot.”

“What if something you thought was babble might actually be truth?” She looked at nothing in particular as she asked the question.

“You remember something you forgot to mention? What exactly?” Nick finished bagging the doll as he looked at Sage.

“Just the fact that maybe there might be another person and they might be in trouble,” Sage replied as she turned to look at Nick in the eye.


	2. Chapter 2

Sage walked through the halls of the crime lab, glad to be back in regular clothes. For once she was glad that she kept up the habit of keeping spares in her locker. It was a job hazard that was never mentioned in the field training. It was more like part of the learn as you go or on the job training. Plus it was plain common sense and she recalled the field school internship she did while completing her degrees.

The scene had been processed and they had brought everything back to the lab. She had asked Brass about the patient at Desert Palms and he told her that he was in surgery. Apparently he had suffered an abdominal bullet injury and was in critical condition. She then asked if anything cropped up from when she gave her statement about what he said. Nothing so far.

It had Sage contemplating on what they were going to do. All they had was her suspicions and a statement. The doll that she and Nick found could point in the right direction but it could have been something that the guy picked up and held onto. Yet there was something about the way he said it. He was looking for help and thought that she would be able to give it.

“Sage, wait up.”

Sage paused to see Greg come running towards her with a cup of coffee. He handed it to her and she smiled, “Thanks Greg.”

“No problem. I know you do your best when you get jumpstarted on coffee,” Greg countered, “And I wanted to know how the big date went.”

“It wasn’t a date. I was at service,” Sage replied taking a sip. It was the house blend but it was better made. Apparently someone had been getting the message about proportions and there had been some improvements.

“Not that. I mean with Warrick.”

“I know what you meant. That was not a date,” Sage pointed out. She pointed with her finger for emphasis. “It was the result of a bet. I lost.”

Greg made a slight face that clearly said he didn’t believe that. “Right.” He then continued in a sing song tone, “Then I guess that conversation when you were working on the DNA for your case was just nothing.” He looked at Sage with a look that begged her to spill. He turned on the full charm and added, “Please.”

“You really have nothing better to do all day don’t you?” Sage narrowed her eyes playfully at the lab tech that made her days seem brighter. “I really have to give you more to do in terms of practicing for field work.”

“Please Sage.”

“It wasn’t a date. It was debt collected,” Sage replied. “I owed Warrick a favor and he asked me out. End of story and no we aren’t serious. We are tight.” She cut off Greg before he could pester her more. She started walking towards homeroom since that was where the debriefing was. “Besides you’re still my brother and we’re still on for our weekly night. Game night right?”

Greg smiled, “Yeah. You mind if we play teams?” He paused by the door to his lab.

Sage stopped and turned around. She looked at the lab technician and noted the expression. He was up to something. She walked up to him and asked, “And may I ask who will be invited?”

Greg studied Sage. He could hold out on this one and make it a surprise. The last time they did teams, he got the lab rats in and they had a good time and there were a few pictures still floating around which he had safely locked up with his porn. She was persistent and like an older sibling, she could bully him into doing what she wanted. “How about we save it as a surprise?”

“Lab rats?”

“Not saying anything,” Greg replied and looked at Sage with an equally firm look like hers.

It was a staring contest to see who would fold first. They didn’t pay attention to anyone else even though they were occasionally glanced at. Sage studied her tech and finally smiled, “Alright. Keep me in suspense Greggo. Thursday.”

Greg was surprised that he won but that could mean that she was up to something. With Sage, you always were on your toes. He could see why Nick liked interacting with her. “Thursday it is.”

Sage smiled and ruffled Greg’s messy mop to give it better character. “See ya around then.” She turned and walked to homeroom leaving Greg smiling as he ran a hand through his hair. He was on cloud nine.

Sage walked into homeroom where Catherine and Sara were already waiting. The past few months had gotten her comfortable with them and they seemed to like the fact that the girl side was evened out. She liked working with them too. One case she worked on with Catherine gave her insight to her previous profession as a stripper and they had interesting conversations. Sara was like having a competitor in school. They had the drive to see a case through and Sage thought she could detect someone that wanted to have her feelings known but wasn’t sure how to express it. All in all they got along well. Sage walked in and said, “Hey Catherine. How’s Lindsey?”

“Great. She brought home a form asking permission to teach sex ed.”

Sage raised her brow in surprise as she took a seat next to the older woman, “Really? They teaching puberty that young?”

“Yep and as if I didn’t have enough problems,” Catherine replied.

“Then I must have been in the Stone Age since you didn’t hear about that until your wedding night,” Sage replied taking a sip from her cup. “So are you signing off?”

“Don’t know.”

“Well at least she has a good source,” Sage replied with a slight smile. “Better she come to you than go off with virtual strangers.”

“Speaking of which, how was that night?” Sara piped in with a slight grin on her face.

“What night? I mean tonight was rough considering…” Sage was grinning as she took another sip of her coffee knowing exactly what Sara was asking.

“What are you two talking about?”

Sara shrugged her shoulders slightly, “Oh something about music, nightclub and a tall CSI by the name of Warrick Brown.” She smiled innocently at Sage.

“Really?” Catherine pretended to look exasperated. “You got Warrick to go to a nightclub. Goth?”

“Seems like the grapevine is in full force,” Sage replied in careful singsong. She looked at the two and said, “We are just friends and Warrick was showing me a sight. I’m still the new kid here.” She smiled to show that she wasn’t annoyed with the grapevine. Most were harmless stuff and it was particularly funny that people still thought she and Greg were an item.

Catherine didn’t quite buy it since Sage and Warrick got along pretty well and some of their actions were quite serious. “Uh huh.”

“I’m serious Cath,” Sage replied knowing where that was going. “We’re just friends.”

Before Catherine could say anything else Warrick and Nick filed in with Grissom in tow. She wasn’t going to discuss this in front of everyone else since it was private and for the most part it was harmless stuff since they never were serious. She raised a brow as Nick took a seat next to Sage and shot a look at her. The silent exchange was rather impressive until Nick muttered, “Brown nose.”

“Maybe you should try harder,” Sage whispered back.

At that point everyone was there and Grissom gave the rundown on assignments. Warrick and Nick were going to stick to the accident they were called to, Sara was with Grissom on a home invasion and robbery and Catherine was on 415, assault and battery. Everyone was going leaving Sage with Grissom. She stood up and sighed, asking, “Lab work today?”

Grissom looked at Sage as she waited for her assignment. He had it in his hand but he wasn’t sure if it was right in giving her this one. However given the circumstances and technically she was three months into her probationary hire. She would need a senior CSI to go with. He mulled it over as he looked at her and noticed she seemed a little plain faced but she was eager to work. “I was considering it since Greg is still complaining of backlog and for some reason it disappears when you show up.”

“My fault I think,” Sage replied apologetically. “He only does it when he knows I get a doozy for a case. Harmless.”

“Glad to hear of it,” Grissom replied. He knew that Sage and Greg worked like a machine in the lab and they still managed to do something that brought laughs and organized chaos. “I do have something for you but I’m not sure I should give it to you given the circumstances.”

Sage figured out what it was. “That guy that I called in… the 421. It’s in my statement what he said. It could be rambling and I’ve seen victims mix up events when traumatized.”

“But you relayed your suspicions to Nick.”

“It could be nothing and I have nothing to go on except a gut feeling and someone’s word and that’s not very scientific,” Sage replied pointing out that they were scientists. It wasn’t that she didn’t want the assignment. She was just laying out the potential problems.

Grissom studied the young woman and knew that she wasn’t trying to get out of an assignment. She was merely pointing out his own rules and rules she followed. He handed her the slip, “He was asking for you.”

“Me? But I didn’t tell him my name or anything,” Sage countered confused as she took the slip.

“More specifically he asked for the woman with the short hair and lovely singing voice,” Grissom replied with that boyish smile he gave. “The EMTs stated that you were the only one helping at the time so naturally I assumed it was you.”

Sage looked at the assignment slip. It would be a good opportunity to see if the guy was okay and if her hunch was right. “Run it as a separate case?”

“In close proximity to Warrick’s. Assume nothing,” Grissom replied, giving the gentle warning.

“Right because this guy could be a suspect,” Sage replied. She held up the slip and twirled it in her fingers. “Am I running solo on this? I know I’m still on probation.”

“Take Nick,” Grissom said as he started out the door. “But your guy won’t talk to him. He said wasn’t going to talk to anybody but you but you still need supervision. Besides you two always seem to find something.” He turned and went to go join Sara on their case.

Sage was left standing there making a face that was more of wondering what just happened. She knew that she and Nick often looked like they were bickering sometimes but they got the job done and often with favorable results. This was one of the few times Grissom actively acknowledged that and she wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Deciding not to waste daylight (joke), she sighed and made a slight face. Looks like she was off to Desert Palms and she was going to have company. She walked out and started to grab her field kit along with her jacket. It was the chocolate suede that she wore her first day and it sort of was a good luck charm which was why she kept it in her locker. She met Nick who was trying to look like he wasn’t waiting and said, “You’re too obvious Stokes. I know Grissom told you.”

“Hey you’re the probie,” Nick shot back with a grin as he grabbed his kit. He glanced back at Warrick who shook his head and went about to log in his evidence.

****

Sage wrinkled her nose as she stepped foot into Desert Palms. She had been in hospitals before but it was the smell that she just didn’t like. It was strange since she had her fair share of smells that most people would end up gagging on. Then there was autopsy which should be smelling like a medicine cabinet but it didn’t. There was just something about hospitals that just rubbed the wrong way.

“What’s the matter? Can’t handle the smell?”

Sage glanced at Nick with a wry look, “They smell different.” It was all she could say as she proceeded to the room that belonged to Robert, just Robert. “And shut up.”

Nick chuckled to himself as he followed Sage. He learned that decomps didn’t bother her but certain medicine smells did. It was funny and occasionally would tease her about it but he was astute to know that there was a story behind it and he wasn’t going to press. He just gave a gentle smack to her shoulder to indicate he was teasing as they walked past the nurse’s station. A detective was already there and looking frustrated. It was Lockwood and he was trying maintain a professional front even though he looked like their guy was just yanking his chain.

Detective Lockwood looked up to see the pair of CSIs walking in. It was unusual but he was certain there was a reason to it. He said, “Please tell me you’re the ones he’s been asking for.”

Sage spoke up, “That would be me Detective Lockwood.”

Lockwood looked at the pair and said, “Name’s Robert and he’s nineteen. One shot to the abdomen. Doctor says he’s going to be okay.”

“We’re gonna need the bullet,” Nick said.

“Already let the doc know,” Lockwood replied as he watched Sage peek into the room to look at the kid. “Kid hasn’t said anything except to say that he won’t talk to anyone except the one who helped him. A ‘woman with short hair and a pretty voice’.” He looked at his notes to read what the kid had said. He looked up at Sage while she was peeking in and asked while motioning with his hands, “So I take it that it is you?”

“Yeah,” Sage replied as she looked in at the boy on the bed. He looked different from when he grabbed a hold of her. It had her wondering what happened that he was in that car and who it was that he was referring to. “Has he said anything?”

“Hasn’t said a word.”

“Is that her? I’m not talking to anyone but her.”

Sage turned to look at Nick with a slight expression and took a breath. She looked at Lockwood and said, “It would probably be a good idea if you wait out here detective.”

“No problem.”

Sage led the way in and Nick followed. The kid Robert was in his bed being checked out by the nurse doing routine stuff. She said, “Robert? Hi. I’m CSI Parker and this is Nick Stokes…”

“I said only you,” Robert interrupted. He looked agitated at the whole thing.

Sage blinked a moment at that. She was used to being interrupted at times but this just had her off for a moment. She replied, “And you will get to talk to me. He’s just here to help me with evidence collection. You won’t have to talk to him. Understand?”

Nick noted the tone of voice Sage used. It reminded him of when his own mother used to scold him for something he shouldn’t have done. He knew Sage was a nice person and tried to be nice with everyone but she was coldly polite if they were rude or whatever. This was different and it made him wonder if this was how she managed to boss the lab rats.

Robert looked at the pair of CSIs. The woman he would talk to. She had a nice voice and she listened to him. The other he could sort of like. He wasn’t that bad. In fact it looked like they got along pretty well. “Just as long as I talk to you. It’s okay,” he finally replied.

Sage gave a slight smile and a brief nod to Nick. She set her kit down and opened it. From what they could get, the kid didn’t have an ID. However she could take a ten card and print him. They might get lucky if he attended a school with a school safety program. She approached the bed and said, “Alright, aside from Robert can you give me a last name or something?”

“Just Robert,” Robert replied. After a moment’s thought he added, “You can call me Robbie.” He watched as she studied everything.

“Okay, Robbie. Can you tell me how you got these?” She pointed at the ligature marks on his wrists. They hadn’t been noticeable before but now that she had a clear look, she wondered of something more was going on that led to the car accident.

“I didn’t do as I was told.”

Sage looked over at Nick who motioned with his eyes to keep the kid talking. No doubt he would get Lockwood to take notes since the door was open. “Didn’t do as you were told?” She picked up her camera to document the marks and what looked like bruising on his wrists.

“We’re not supposed to leave anything on our plates.”

This was not sounding good to Sage’s ears. “And you didn’t finish?”

“I did but Jordan didn’t.” Robert looked off into space.

Sage finished her pictures and picked up the ten card. She started doing prints. She filled in the blanks and watched his expression, “So you took the punishment for him, didn’t you?”

“Jordan is my brother. You’re supposed to look after your brother.” Robert looked at Sage with a firm expression. He looked like he was going to get visibly angry.

Nick noticed but he knew that if Sage were feeling any sense of distress she would let him know. Besides he knew that she could take care of herself and hold off an attack until backup arrived. That gang banger case said as much. He motioned behind him to keep Lockwood from coming in. Everything was fine at the moment and he was there just in case.

“So what happened afterwards?” Sage continued on as if that little outburst didn’t happen. She continued printing the kid until she was finished.

“We got out. The three of us but he wouldn’t let us go. He shot at us.” Robert put a hand to his hair.

Sage studied the abrasions and the bruises. Some came from the impact of the body to the pavement. Others she wasn’t too sure. That he might have been a victim of abuse sounded plausible and he may have been trying to escape but at this point she was going to let the evidence speak for itself. “So you got away and you drove by and decided to jump out for help?” She gave a puzzled frown at that.

“We had to get away. Brian was going to take us back. We thought he was our friend.”

“Alright,” Sage replied as she put away the ten card after labeling it like she was supposed to. She noticed that Nick had bagged and tagged the clothes. One less thing to do. “So you had to get away. Robbie, I need to ask you…”

“You have a pretty voice.”

That was out of left field. Sage could see why Lockwood was impatient with the kid. He was nineteen but something about how he said it threw her off. She was not a doctor but… She picked up her penlight and replied, “I haven’t heard that one before.”

“Does he tell you that?”

Sage looked over at Nick who was busy and hoped that this wouldn’t be fodder for jokes. She turned on her light and held it up. She reached with her gloved hand to hold Robert by the head while she held the light with the other and shone it into his eyes. The pupil size was normal but the blinking started.

“Turn it off,” Robert said.

“Just a moment,” Sage replied.

“I said turn it off!” Robert flung his arm out and knocked the light away. He then started saying, “You need to find her.”

At that moment the nurses came in and Nick was pulling Sage away and creating a barrier between her and the patient. Sage managed to say, “Stop, it’s okay.”

“Parker,” Nick said in a warning tone and looked at her.

Sage acknowledged it but gave a slight shake of her head. She said, “Don’t restrain him. It was my fault. I should have noticed the sensitivity to light.” She went to the doctor who had come in and asked, “Has he been screened for a concussion?”

“Scans came back negative,” the doctor replied.

Sage looked at Robert who had calmed down the moment the nurses backed off. She then looked back at the doctor, “I think he might be suffering from post-concussive syndrome. The lack of focus when I questioned him and the sensitivity to light.” She looked at Robert, “I think something happened before he got out of that car.”

Nick was upset that Sage was put through that but he knew that when she wanted to keep going she did and the best he could do was to watch her back. He stood back after picking up her light and making sure any evidence hadn’t been compromised. “Parker?”

“It’s alright Stokes,” Sage replied in a whisper. Louder she asked, “Doctor, can you have everyone clear the room or at least step back?”

The doctor thought she was crazy but Nick backed her up on this. Even he backed up slightly to give the impression that it was just her and Robert. “We’re good,” he whispered.

Sage made a slight movement as she looked at Robert. He had calmed down enough and his gown had shifted. She could make out bruising that was not consistent with jumping out of a moving vehicle. She then said, “Robbie, I’m not mad about the light. Now I need you to remember what you told me after you jumped out of the car.”

Robert was focused this time and looked at Sage. It didn’t matter that her partner was there. He could see that she wasn’t mad at him. He relaxed and did as he was told. He could see the house, the sand and he could hear the gun. The shouts and Jordan jumping out. He looked at her and said, “He has her.”

“Who?”

“Rachel.”


	3. Chapter 3

“I don’t know Parker. It could be that he’s out of it.” Nick looked at Sage as they stood in the hall of the hospital. They were taking a break and Sage had wanted to talk to him about her suspicions with this kid. So far he thought that he might be a little bit delusional and only calmed down because Sage was a pretty girl.

Sage had considered that possibility but when the doctor checked the kid out, he ordered a second scan and now they were waiting. She replied, “That is a possibility but he was exhibiting signs of a concussion; the loss of focus and the sensitivity to light. He probably was having a headache and he spaced out a bit.”

“Not to doubt you but how were you sure? He could have been tripped out on drugs and the way he took a swing…”

“He knocked my light away,” Sage corrected, “And irritability is another symptom of concussion but I don’t think he sustained it from jumping out of the vehicle.”

“So you’re a shrink and have an MD?” Nick meant it as a joke. He occasionally teased her about it when she managed to weasel something from day shift, primarily Ecklie.

“Don’t be stupid,” Sage countered with a little more force than she intended. She paused and took a breath before continuing, “Did you notice the bruises on his chest and the ligature marks?”

Nick knew not to take that personal. He pushed a bit too hard. He looked at her and replied, “Yeah. Kid said he was punished. Took the heat for another.”

“I think he has been doing that a lot,” Sage replied. Her voice got low to an almost near whisper, “The bruising, the concussion, it makes me believe that he has been suffering chronic abuse and not just him but whoever else was with him.”

“So we’re looking at…?”

“Right now an abuse case and all we have are names but not really identities,” Sage replied. She tapped her fingertips together. “The only thing I have that has his name attached is a ten card and maybe we might get lucky if he happened to attend a school with a safety program or something.” She frowned a little and turned to think about it a little.

“We have the kid’s clothes and the vehicle is being towed to the garage. We might find something on that too,” Nick pointed out. He could tell that she was thinking things through with her frown but it also more like she wasn’t sure what to do next. He then said, “I take that back about the brown nose comment.”

Sage couldn’t help but chuckle a little. Before assignments were handed out Nick had noticed her cup of coffee and silently asked about it. It was kind of funny because they knew what they were talking about but others didn’t. In this case it was the fact that Greg gave it to her. “Let go my Greggo,” she replied. She sighed, “Well I guess we better chase the leads.”

“Hey your case,” Nick replied, “I’m supervising.”

“That eager to get me out of your hair?”

“No. More like eager to get you in the garage with me and Warrick,” Nick replied.

Sage almost wanted to laugh. She highly doubted that Nick realized how that sounded and she was guilty of that a couple of times. She knew though that it was to get her involved with their case since they were seemingly connected. She tried to keep a straight face but couldn’t since she was smiling, “As tempting as that is, I think I should keep this case separate for now. Ducks lined up in a row remember?”

Nick smiled at that not realizing how his comment sounded. He was thinking more along the lines of cheering Sage up a bit. “Right I’m holding you to that. So you’re thinking body shots of the bruises.”

“Evidence,” Sage replied. “There might be underlying bruises too. Best to document them and if this kid was abused, I wanna make sure that he gets the max if at all possible. Can you do that?”

“Me?”

Sage gave a wry look at Nick. “Hello? He’s nineteen and he’s a guy.”

“This coming from the girl who once demanded a suspect strip.” Nick knew what she was getting at. Besides, it worked the same way if the victim was a woman. It was a matter of reducing distress. “I should remind you that he requested to talk to you.”

“I know but…” Sage made a slight movement.

“Don’t tell me you…”

“Don’t even go there Stokes,” Sage warned him off. “I just have a thing about propriety.” She crossed her arms across her chest defiantly. It was pretty funny if one stopped to think about it. Dead bodies she didn’t have a problem with, male or female. It’s when it was alive and could make inferences and… “Can you please do it before this gets any more awkward?”

Nick couldn’t help but smirk at that. This was coming from a girl that could look at human remains like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. It was one of the reasons why he liked asking for her input when they weren’t on a case. She always managed to surprise him. “Alright but you gotta process this you know.”

“Don’t talk to me like I’m a rookie,” Sage replied as she narrowed her eyes slightly. “Don’t forget the last time.”

“A face full of lab coat,” Nick countered smoothly as he went to unpack the camera that he would need. “I remember. Alright Parker I’ll do this but you gotta give me something in return.”

“Now I’m a ho?” Sage checked the evidence as she said it. Her drawl made it sound funny since it was more emphasized in an attempt to mimic Warrick.

Nick looked at her and tried not to laugh because it came out funny. “What?”

“You heard me,” Sage replied aware that the first time was funny. If she did it a second time, Nick would be busting a gut and she would have another scene to process. She was well aware that her drawl put a different twist on normal words and for some reason it was funny with hers but not Nick’s. “I ain’t going to repeat it.”

Nick chuckled. He had heard her correctly. He sobered though even though there was a smile on his face. “No you’re not. Just calling in an even trade.”

“What do you need me for? Greg’s got DNA and trace if you need it,” Sage replied. “Besides you and Warrick got the other part of this covered. You don’t need me.”

“Hey,” Nick countered. “Come on I know you want in on the scene and for some odd reason when you work with Greg on the samples stuff gets processed faster.” He looked at Sage who was making sure everything was in the carton. All they needed was the bullet. “Don’t make me beg.”

Sage looked at Nick. It was no secret that things seemed to pick up the pace when she and Greg were together in the lab but Greg was good on his own too. It was no secret either that DNA was a specialty of hers along with the psych stuff. She decided to have a little fun since there was some time to kill before the kid came back. “Stokes, when you need something from me, you don’t have to hand me a bunch of lines, unless I make you say it. All you have to do is say ‘Parker, you’re my partner and we’ve been through a whole heap together and I really, really need you’.”

Nick looked at Sage and could tell that she was being serious about this. He could just imagine what she said to Greg to get him to comply. The other lab techs… He figured it was that behavioral psych thing she was good at. Certainly a couple of interviews were interesting since the first one. Seeing that she wasn’t going to budge, he sighed and said, “Alright Parker, you’re right. You are my partner but as to being through a whole lot together…”

“Then I guess you just have to beg.” Sage gave a smile that was meant to tease and say that you’re screwed. “Right now we need get those photographs and maybe piece together a few more details.”

“I really don’t want to guess what you have in mind.” Nick was certain of that. He knew that she had interesting ways of getting debts paid for bets made. Yet it always seemed that the lab techs got off easy compared to what she had him, Warrick and Sara go through.

“Good because it is a doozy,” Sage replied as she started back towards the room now that the kid was back.

They spent some more time with Robert. Nick took the shots of the bruises that covered the kid’s body and came to the conclusion that they weren’t from the kid’s fall out of the vehicle. Sage in the meantime managed to get a few more details out of him. She even managed to uncover that Rachel was kept with him and Jordan and Brian. It led her to believe that there were multiple kids going through what Robert did but until they found evidence to support it, they had to work with what they had.

“You’re partner is not so bad.”

Sage finished putting her stuff away. She had managed to talk to the kid and get responses from him. She replied, “No he’s not. He’s one of the best.”

“Would he say the same about you?”

“Um…” Sage wasn’t too sure about what to say. Finally she said, “He has my six and I got his.” It was the best she could come up with and she was aware that it sounded strange. She was a military brat so they could sue her if they wanted.

“That’s the same with me and Jordan. Rachel too.” Robert had been looking off at the wall. Poor kid had a concussion. He then looked at Sage, “Will you find her?”

“I will if you can tell me where…”

“A big house with a dirt yard. That’s all. We weren’t let out much.”

Sage frowned slightly as she processed that. It always seemed that she got handed the weird cases like it was a joke because she wasn’t the cookie cutter model of professionalism. She took it because in a way it was true since she had started here. It was a far cry from D.C. Metro where it seemed like Greg reacting around Grissom. “Anything else you can tell me?”

“No but I like that song you sang. It was Rachel’s favorite.”

Sage recalled quoting the lyrics but not actually singing it. “Um… okay. Well I gotta get back to the lab Robbie. I’ll be in touch.” She was out of there praying that Nick didn’t hear a word of that. Maybe some work processing evidence would help. She glanced at Nick noticed that he heard everything and made a slight motion with her hand to warn him before starting down the hall.

****

Warrick looked at the SUV as it sat there in the garage at CSI. He and Nick were going to have to do a whole sweep of it and maybe get lucky. The semi had done some considerable damage to the vehicle but it was largely intact. The right side was going to be difficult to get open but the driver side looked good. He flipped a light on and went about looking at the outside of the vehicle for anything that might suggest that the driver was intoxicated or something. Doc Robbins was busy with the autopsy.

He started a slow walk around the vehicle and noted that it was a fairly older model but it looked like it was in good running condition. Black and it had traces of the powder released from the airbags all over but he collected some for trace to verify. As he rounded the rear of the driver side, Warrick noticed something that didn’t quite belong. He moved closer and shone his light on it to take a better look.

Upon closer inspection, he noted that it was a hole and not just any hole. It was a bullet hole. Immediately Warrick could picture the vehicle taking off and shots being fired but it was incomplete since he didn’t have anything else at the moment. He popped open the back of the SUV trunk and looked where the hole was. If they were lucky, they might find a bullet and Bobby in ballistics could run it.

“See you started without me.”

Warrick glanced up to see Nick coming in and getting ready to work. He replied, “Yeah I like to get a head start.” He went back to looking at the door and feeling with his finger the hole. “So you were babysitting again.”

“Just supervising,” Nick motioned as he picked up a light and started looking through the front end of the vehicle. “Still have a probie.”

Warrick made a slight sound at that. He knew that a lot of what was said between Nick and Sage was virtually talking smack. Neither of them meant it unless they really meant it and it usually resulted in one of them posing a challenge to the other. It was how he was suckered into the last one and ended up taking her to the nightclub.

Actually she won and she asked to be shown a sight that he would go to in Vegas. He just happened to pick it thinking that he could make her think twice about the rewards for a challenge. It didn’t quite work out that way but he could admit that he had a good time. He replied, “Yeah well Parker’s hardly that.”

Finding what he was looking for, he picked up a pair of tweezers and reached in to grab the bullet. It was hard work since it had fallen in an awkward position. He managed to get it out and look at it. It looked like it came from a 9mm since it was roughly the right size. The best thing to do was to get it to ballistics and have them do what they do best.

Nick was going over the front seat. The blood on his side was consistent with the driver hitting his head on the glass and door. The guy didn’t have a chance. Right now Nick was looking for something that might point them in the direction of where the vehicle came from and where it was going. He could recall the answers to the questions that Sage posed to the kid and low and behold he found something. “Looks like I found where our vehicle might have come from. Looks like dirt.”

“Something that is all around outside Vegas. It’s called desert,” Warrick teased as he finished bagging the bullet. “Found a 9mm in the trunk.”

“Well the kid at Desert Palms was shot. Bullet in the abdomen,” Nick pointed out. He noticed that something else was with the dirt. It looked like plant material. That might narrow the scope down a bit for Sage’s case.

“Thinking car chase?”

“No other vehicle reported,” Nick replied as he went about collecting what he found.

“So what did Parker find out?”

“Ah kid was disoriented and had a near violent reaction to her penlight…”

Warrick raised his brow and looked over at Nick. Knowing him, Nick would have done something about that. He had to ask, “Smacked around our Parker?”

“Uh knocked it out of her hand,” Nick corrected. “Don’t worry Parker handled it. Figured out that the kid was concussed. Turns out the kid suffered chronic abuse.” He finished processing what he found. “Got trace. Might narrow down where the vehicle came from.”

“Oh we’re really on a roll,” Warrick deadpanned as he continued his search. He paused a bit and looked up. “You think Grissom should have given Parker that. I mean the kid specifically asked to speak to her. Gotta be something up with that.”

Nick thought it odd but he had been watching how the kid reacted to Sage. “Well I think he was going to give it to us but you know Grissom. He knows Parker and I think it may have to do with the first case we worked on.”

“Right the Ramosa case. How’s that going by the way?”

“DA is filing for the killing of Suleiman with that kid from the voodoo community. The cartel guys…”

“Feds,” Warrick replied with a knowing look. That was the way of it in terms of law enforcement cooperation. “I take it that they’re gonna pester Parker?”

“Already did and she’s not happy.”

Warrick scoffed a bit, “When is she ever with them?”

Nick said nothing but continued to help Warrick process the SUV. Occasionally his thoughts drifted to Sage and how she was doing with her end of the case. Technically it was separate from theirs but they were connected and it was becoming obvious but as Grissom was fond of pointing out, you gotta follow the evidence.

****

Mandy was looking at the computer and running prints for one of thirteen active cases that were in queue. It was a usual night in the lab and if there was going to be an influx of prints with over a million hits, she was going to go cross eyed. The current case she was working on could potentially put a rapist behind bars. Greg currently was working on the DNA for the case.

“Hey Mandy.”

Mandy looked up and swiveled in her seat to face Sage. She grinned, “Sparks. What brings you to my domain?”

Sage couldn’t help but chuckle. Most of the graveyard called her ‘Parker’ as that was how she introduced herself. Greg knew her reasons why and most others thought it was a quirk that was new and strange. Combined with the fact that she hung out with Greg, they assumed it was a quirk. Mandy’s nickname for her came from a case she had done in which the fingerprints she lifted had gold flecks in them, the same flecks from a shell casing tying the guy who was a painter to the crime. It caught on with Bobby in ballistics and it was a joke between the three of them.

Clearing her throat, Sage replied, “Hoping you give me something dandy.” She handed the ten card over. “I pulled these from my victim at Desert Palms. His name is Robert but couldn’t give me a last name.”

“And you want me to do a search through local schools to see if it comes up,” Mandy finished.

“Pretty much.”

Mandy pretended to look like it was going to be difficult. “I don’t know Sparks. I’ve got thirteen actives going and Greg has me on a race with his DNA and you know what his terms tend to be.” She gave a look at Sage.

Sage knew what was coming. She was going to have to do something to get her stuff prioritize. She could go down the serious note and come down hard but she didn’t want to be an ass. She did say, “Well my vic could have been abused for some time. Possibly abducted.”

“And you will have my attention in the queue,” Mandy countered. She would process it as quick as she could. Everything was priority since they solved crimes. It was hard to determine which came first.

Sage knew Mandy would do her job. She was good at it and admired her tenacity when it came to running prints. It was another part of the intricate system of the lab. Of course there were tricks to the lab that were utilized all the time and she knew how that worked. She knew just the thing for Mandy but she looked around to make sure that no one who loved to gossip was around. Clearing her throat, Sage began to sing Barry Manilow’s ‘Mandy’.

Mandy felt her eyes widen in shock when Sage started singing. She wasn’t expecting that. She was thinking that Sage would do something more along the lines of a trick she could do with a beaker or something that was picture worthy.

“But I sent you away… Oh Mandy,” Sage finished with a grin. She chuckled and asked, “Now will that get me some priority?”

Mandy was still in shock at what just happened. She did manage to compose herself and return the smile with one of her own. “I think I might be able to move this up for you.” She went over to the scanner to scan in the ten card and went to do her magic. “I got to admit that I wasn’t expecting that, Sparks.”

Sage crossed her arms as she watched Mandy do her work. “Well I figured that the usual stuff wasn’t going to cut it. I mean I gotta be original somewhere right?”

Mandy chuckled at that. “I guess so. Are you sure you’re not trying to pay me back for your nickname now?” She looked at Sage and went to return the ten card now that the prints were scanned into the computer.

“Hey, I like what you and Bobby saddled me with. Nice use of my first initial and the shortening of my last name.” Sage tried to keep a straight face as she said that. She knew the real reason but it was always fun to point out something that wasn’t considered before.

Mandy smiled as she pulled up the prints on the screen. She set the markers and entered in the search. “Now I’ll put it through the usual as well like AFIS as well as any databases for school safety. Keep in mind that if they were taken when your guy was a kid, they’ll be smaller. So that might take a little more time.”

“I’ve got it,” Sage replied. “Thanks Mandy. You know maybe you should have CSIs sing it if they really want it and if it is a hot find. Nice way for the techs to have some leverage right.”

Mandy was going to say something when the computer beeped. She turned to look and it was showing a match. She frowned, “Didn’t expect to see something that fast.” She tapped a few keys and found out, “This is why.”

Sage put on her glasses to take a closer look. “The Amber alert thing. Right. Says here that the print belongs to a Robert Callen. You got a picture?”

“Yep,” Mandy replied as she pulled up the case file.

Sage looked at the photo. It was dated but she recognized the kid. “Hello Robbie. Thanks Mandy for giving me something dandy.” She gave Mandy a pat on the shoulder and took off to pull the file on that case.

Mandy watched as Sage left. “Sure thing Sparks. Just tell Greg that there was a time out.”

“Already done,” came the reply and Mandy couldn’t help but chuckle. Of course Sage would cover her bases when she needed something from the lab techs. She went back to work printing up the report for the ten card and checked to verify all the prints were a match.


	4. Chapter 4

“The kid’s name is Robert Callen. He’s been reported missing when he was fourteen. He and his brother Jordan Callen were last seen on their way to school. Foster mother confirmed it.”

“Foster parents?” Sage looked at Lockwood for confirmation. She read the file to make sure.

“Yeah. She called when they didn’t come home. Filed a report but it was assumed that they ran away,” Lockwood replied to confirm the story.

Sage read the details while Lockwood was recounting. It would have been logical to assume that they ran away. It does happen but something didn’t seem right in the situation. She read the basic vitals on Robbie and Jordan and frowned a bit. “Can I ask you something Detective?”

Lockwood looked at Sage and replied, “Sure thing Parker.”

“Why would two boys run away if the home life was good?” When Lockwood didn’t respond, Sage looked up and pointed at the file, “They were A/B students, were involved with clubs, and went to church every Sunday… why would they run away?”

“Well both parents died in a car crash,” Lockwood supplied, “Could be that it got to them.”

Sage highly doubted that. People for the most part were consistent with their behaviors. Even the ones that appeared to be highly random had a pattern to it. It brought to mind her old roommate’s adage of ‘how random is random’, a joke among mathematicians that nothing was entirely random. It just appeared that way. “I might be inclined to believe that as a possibility but…”“You don’t think so,” Lockwood finished. “So follow up on the foster parents?”

“That would be a good place to start but we also need to look for Jordan. He’s still a minor,” Sage replied.

Lockwood nodded in agreement. “I can also check into any other missing persons with a similar MO. Your boy did imply that there was a girl. I’ll check into a Rachel. Might get lucky.”

Sage wasn’t going to burst the detective’s bubble that Rachel, if taking into account the different variations in spelling, he might as well be looking for a needle in a haystack. Without a last name, prints or DNA even assuming that she might be in the system, they were operating on very little. Instead she replied, “Alright. I’ll go back to the evidence. Might find something on what we collected.” She gave a slight smile at the detective.

“You sure you don’t want to talk to the kid again?”

“Maybe later,” Sage replied. As much as she wanted to talk to the kid, she wanted to wait. It seemed that she might have to work this one piecemeal; sporadic conversations or something like that. She didn’t want to cause the kid anymore confusion if it was already possible since he was suffering from PCS. “I want to be able to have something to get him to talk more.”

“Alright. I have a uniform stationed outside his room just in case. Seems to have calmed down now that you’ve talked to him.”

“Must be my charm,” Sage replied in a slight deadpan. “Thank you detective. Anything else, just give me a call.”

“Will do.”

Sage turned to head back to the lab. She tapped her fingers on the edge of the case file regarding the missing kids. She was not inclined to believe that they ran away considering the bruises but then again there have been cases where runaways were bruised. She just didn’t buy the runaway story. She needed to think about that and no better way to do it than to process the evidence collected.

“Hey Sage.”

Sage smiled as she continued walking through the halls. “Greg, how’s the DNA?”

“Slow thanks to you,” Greg teased. “Now Mandy has a punishment worked up for me and I don’t even want to know what she has in mind.”

“Maybe a music number,” Sage replied more as an afterthought. She glanced at Greg and said, “Now Greg I thought you liked challenges. Besides I needed a quick one and Mandy is the best.”

“I thought I was the best,” Greg replied with a slight pout.

“You are my best DNA man,” Sage replied with a tolerant smile. She gave a shoulder pat to the tech who was smiling like a cute little boy. “So you have something for me on another case or…?”

“No… just talking.”

“Well we’re burning daylight standing here. I gotta go process some evidence and I think you should go back to your station. Can’t have Grissom get on your case. Otherwise I won’t be allowed back there anymore.” She gave a slight smile and gave a slight point with her finger as she clasped the folder to her chest.

“Well we wouldn’t that now would we,” Greg replied with a slight smile. “Any DNA you find, shoot it my way. Same with MassSpec.”

“I’ll take you up on that,” Sage replied. She then leaned forward and softly sang, “Cause I’ll always love you.” She stood back and gave a smile and turned and walked away.

Greg blinked at what just happened. He then gave a slow smile. He knew she would remember that night they had at the club. It was interesting since she didn’t mention it since then. That had been an interesting evening. Smiling he went back to his lab to get back to work.

****

The light table was perfect to use and sort evidence. Sage put the box that contained the personal effects of Robbie Callen. After putting on her lab coat and gloves, she cut the tape and removed the lid. She took a moment and looked at the content and pursed her lips. There wasn’t much and Bobby had the bullet to work with and he was given instructions to page her.

“Who are you Robbie Callen?”

Sage tapped the box with her fingers and started pulling out the clothes. She placed them on the lighted table and set up for swabs or anything probative. Picking up her penlight, she looked at it and remembered when she looked at the kid. She remembered the agitation the kid had when she flashed it in his eyes.

_Turn it off!_

Frowning, Sage flipped the switch on her light and pulled up the t-shirt Robbie had been wearing. Slowly she began working over it with the light, looking for anything. The t-shirt yielded some interesting stain patterns. They looked like dirt and possibly some oil stains. Taking a swab she took a sample of it and marked it on the box. It was a start and it looked like there were several different kinds of stains on the shirt including some blood, probably from the kid’s abrasions from being hit and jumping out.

The jeans pulled up dirt and dust that she pulled for possible trace and location. Not that was going to help since the desert was desert. Still she would get what she needed to establish where her victim came from and possibly find out who was abusing him. She did manage to find something in the pocket. Using a pair of tweezers she pulled out a wadded piece of paper. It was covered with lint from the jeans and it looked like when you left a receipt in the pocket and it got washed in the machine.

“Something for QD.”

Further exploration of the pockets revealed more lint and something else. Sage frowned a bit as she pulled out what looked like a piece of cloth. When it was fully out of the pocket Sage handled it and moved it between her fingers. She noted that there was something in it and unrolled it. She raised her brow as she revealed another doll, similar to the one that Nick recovered at the scene.

“Two?”

Sage flashed her light on it. She had noted that it had been carefully wrapped as if with care. It wasn’t even one of those expensive dolls but a rag doll. Shining her light on it, Sage went over it carefully and noted a milky like substance on the doll. It was most unusual. So she took a swab and logged it in and moved on.

The last item on the list in terms of actual clothes was the plaid over shirt. It was flannel actually; typical of a substantial percentage of the male population that wore such clothes for more less than casual settings. The distinctions would come from the trace and anything else she could find on it and of course she took swabs of the blood as exemplars for Robbie.

“Hey how’s it coming?”

Sage didn’t flinch at the sound of Nick’s voice. She was used to it. It didn’t detract her from replying, “Making sure the outsides match the insides.” She was going over the shirt near the shoulder.

“Come again?”

Sage made a slight sound that sounded like a chuckle. “Going through it.” She paused a moment and frowned a little. “Hey, what does that look like to you?”

Nick leaned in close to take a look at what Sage was looking at. It dried something with a bit of white milky stuff along the edges. “Doesn’t look like vomit,” he offered. “What are you thinking?”

“I found something that visually looks similar to what I found on that,” Sage pointed at the doll as she reached for a swab. “This though looks a little less milky. Might be something into finding where Robbie came from.”

“Yeah about that,” Nick began as he watched her swab a sample, “You sure about sticking with this? I mean it could mean a conflict of interest.”

“We speak for the victim,” Sage replied as she finished swabbing. Her tone was matter of fact but it really didn’t fool Nick. “Can’t ignore the human element. The trick is to balance it out hence…”

“Matching the insides with the outsides,” Nick finished nodding. He noticed that the shoes the kid was wearing hadn’t been logged in and processed. “You need some help?”

“Bored of Warrick already? Let me guess, he’s with Archie looking at traffic cams.”

“Sometimes I think the pair of you premeditate on things like that,” Nick replied as he put on a pair of gloves. He lifted the shoes and started doing a cursory inspection. He found dirt that looked similar to the traces he found in the car. No surprise there.

“We’re tight me and Warrick,” Sage replied as she bent over to write down the inventory and the notes for the box of evidence. She didn’t mind Nick helping. It was fairly obvious that their cases were connected. “We know how to hang.”

Nick couldn’t help but chuckle, “You know how ridiculous you sound sometimes?”

“I try,” Sage replied looking up and giving a smile. She noticed that there was something on the sole of the right shoe since Nick was holding it up. “Check that out.”

Nick looked at the sole and saw what Sage had been looking at. It was small but collectible. He looked for something to pull it off and made a knowing face when Sage held the tweezers up for him. She didn’t have to say anything but the look said much. His own look was a silent rejoinder before taking the tweezers and pulling at the substance. “Looks like some kind gum like substance. Tar maybe. Might help.”

“Every little bit helps,” Sage replied as she held up a collection jar. She held it close while Nick pulled some off for trace. “Another sample for trace and… that’s it.” She sealed up the collection jar and labeled it while Nick started putting evidence back in the box.

The trip to trace and DNA was short and allowed Sage to run through her thoughts while toting her tub of samples for Greg. Nick had gotten a call from Warrick about their bullet in the car and went to go follow up on that so she was ‘flying’ through the lab. She brought it in and came across Greg bobbing his head to his Marilyn Manson while writing a report for another case.

Sage pursed her lips in an amused fashion as she put her box on the counter and just watched. She noticed the boom box next to her and looked at Greg and then at the box. Pushing the pause button, she looked up to find Greg still bobbing his head until he stopped and looked over. She smiled, “I dislike shouting.”

“You didn’t seem to mind when we went out a couple weeks ago,” Greg replied as he leaned back in his chair giving a smirk.

“Different occasion,” Sage countered. She tapped the edges of her box. “I have something for you. Trace from my kid’s shoe, dust particles, DNA and a strange substance I found on his shirt and a rag doll. Need you to do a full work up. The usual.”

Greg leaned over and peered into the box, “The usual is my game. It will take me a while since…”

“It’s fine. Not priority at the moment.” She tapped her nails on the container. She had decided not to wear nail polish anymore but her nails were still long and neatly trimmed and filed. “Page me when you’ve got something.”

“Will do,” Greg replied. Before she left he added, “Hey Sage, if I get something will you give a repeat performance like you did with Mandy?” He grinned as he said it.

Sage gave a smirk. She knew someone had overheard. It was funny in hindsight and at the time. She got the feeling that Mandy might use it sometime in the future now that she put the idea into her head. That would be entertaining. She replied, “Well I already gave you a show when we went out. Mandy got an encore… I’ll have to think of something. Bye Greg.” She pushed the play button on the radio and Marilyn Manson blared forth again and she left the lab, leaving Greg to do his thing while taking the receipt with her.

Sage walked through the hall down to QD. She had just handed it over when her pager beeped. She frowned since she was certain Greg didn’t have anything yet and Bobby was busy with her bullet. She looked at her pager at the number. She almost didn’t recognize it since she was still earning the ins and outs of the lab. It turned out to be Lockwood. Something was up.

****

Sage shut the door to the Tahoe she checked out of the lot, pulling her kit with her. She looked around at the loneliness of the alleyway. They weren’t that far in terms of driving from the accident site but it was a fair distance to walk. Everything about the place spoke of those horror stories of back alleyways and the shadows that hid the bad guys. Part of that was true.

Frowning slightly Sage turned to where the police tape was and started walking forward. A uniform lifted it for her and she gave a nod of thanks. Heading over to where Lockwood was at, she said, “Detective.”

Lockwood was looking at the scene and shaking his head. He had put out a notice on the missing kid Jordan Callen since now they had a name and to see if they could find the kid and clear up a few things. Like Sage, he didn’t think that they just decided to run away. Still it was his job to ask questions just like hers was.

The call came in and at first Lockwood didn’t want to believe it. Yet the description of the kid was accurate even though he was older than when the case was first issued. Jordan Callen was dead. He watched as David went through the motions of checking liver temp and other signs to TOD. He only looked up when he heard Sage’s tread. He said, “The call came in twenty minutes ago. Homeless guy found him and started screaming his head off and someone came. Saw him and called 9-1-1.”

Sage looked down at the body. “Is it him?”

“Description is right. Jordan Callen.”

Sage blinked as she watched David work and then looked at the body. She could make out blood and it looked like a pool of it which gave her reason to believe that he bled out. He was face down but his head turned to the side; easy identification. She kneeled and asked, “You got a TOD, David?”

David looked up at Sage and replied, “Approximately 7-8 hours ago. Looks like he bled out from two gunshot wounds. Lividity has set in completely. It looks like he fell and just bled out. Rigor has set in but not completely. Supports the 7-8 hour mark.” David looked at Sage as if he wasn’t sure of what more to say.

“And I was hoping that he would just walk into the station,” Sage replied. She sighed and took pictures of the body for record. “Okay turn him over.”

David nodded and slowly turned the body over so that the body was flat on his back. Sage took more pictures as she documented the scene. She paused as she looked at the front of the victim’s shirt. It was a flannel plaid like his brother’s and it was just as dirty and ripped in some places. She kneeled to get a better look at what caught her interest.

Putting the camera down and reaching for the tweezers in her kit, she leaned forward and picked up what she had been looking at. It was a long hair and it wasn’t the hair color of the victim or the brother’s. “I got a hair,” she murmured. She was pleased that there was a skin tag on it.

“From the attacker maybe?”

Sage didn’t look at Lockwood but managed to reply, “Possible. It could also be from our other missing person.” She bagged it into evidence and wrote everything on it. Another sample for Greg to play with.

Looking back at the body, Sage frowned. She shone her light on the area and leaned in closer. There was the same milky clear stuff she had found on Robbie’s clothing and the doll in his jeans pocket. _What exactly is going on here?_ Her thoughts were consumed by that question since whatever it was it was consistent with the other evidence she collected in appearance.

“You find something?”

Sage didn’t say anything at first but pulled a swab from her vest. She collected a swab from the stain she found on the shirt and placed it with the stuff to go to Greg. “Maybe.” She looked at the body once more and then said, “Okay David. You can get him out of here.”

Sage stood up and looked down the alleyway. If Jordan jumped out of a moving vehicle, he would have had a ways to go from the street. That meant that he would have had to have been shot running away. Yet the blood pool… unless something else happened here… She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number.

It was basic field survey but Sage had the time and patience. She might as well put in some overtime today. She started on a survey of the area, looking for anything that might be out of place. In this case, she was going to have to look pretty hard since this was an alleyway and half the stuff was… It was long and dirty work but if she had to take the whole alleyway, she would.

Most of the alley stuff was junk that could be discounted. The obvious thing to follow was the blood trail. She followed it, marking each one with a marker and photographing it. It was like following a beeline until it all of a sudden stopped. That was the strange part and it had Sage perplexed but at least she knew she had a starting point for something else.

“Hey, you started without me?”

“Not my fault you’re slow,” Sage replied as she looked around. She found tire marks not too far from the last blood pool and put a marker next to it. “I’ve got tire marks. Might be a match to your SUV.” She snapped the shot.

Warrick made a slight scoffing sound at that but it was halfhearted. He walked over to where the tire marks were and shone his light on them. “Looks like it based on visual. You got a clean one for comparison?”

Sage looked at Warrick with a raised brow, “What do I look like? A rookie?”

“Just a good looking sassy girl,” Warrick replied with smirk.

Sage shook her head as she smiled. She took a breath and looked around. “Body was found there with fixed lividity and rigor almost to the max. Blood trail comes all the way here and here are the tracks.”

“Thinking they stopped?”

Sage looked down the alley and at the evidence. She could almost visualize the scene with at least Jordan standing there. Robbie she couldn’t quite get a fix on but assuming that they were both standing here. She could see a gun, 9mm raised at them and then the sound she could almost hear. “From initial look, it does. But that doesn’t explain the dust found on Robbie’s clothes.”

Warrick was thinking the same thing since they found dirt and dust from the desert or an underdeveloped neighborhood in the SUV. “Well I know we have this as two separate cases but I’m thinking that they are together.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Sage replied as she continued looking around the area.

“My intention to keep you in the loop anyway but you know Grissom.”

“And I understand that,” Sage replied as she shown her light while looking around. Sunlight was going to hit pretty soon but she was on a roll. If they could find anything else it might answer some questions. “Perks of the job.”

Warrick went to work looking around the scene of the blood drops. He decided to follow the tire marks. He himself had been wondering about why Grissom wanted them to keep it separate when it was obvious the two events were connected. Still he would do his job and the answers would come with each piece of evidence. Maybe Nick would get lucky with the traffic cameras with Archie.

He followed the tire marks and found skids. “Looks like someone peeled out of here fast. Thinking maybe our guys were held here and a fight…”

“But both were shot. One is dead,” Sage replied. She could see her breath forming plumes of smoke. She flashed her light on a pile of trash. Something caught her eye and she slowly started moving the debris.

It was like finding a beacon when her light flashed on the gun. She looked at and picked it up. “Found a gun. 9mm. Could be our weapon.” She opened it and checked the magazine. “Five rounds expended.” She looked up at the pile of trash and something else caught her eye.

Warrick brought and evidence box for the gun. “Well we can account for four. That would leave the fifth.” He held out the box for Sage to take it but she didn’t grab it. “Parker, here.”

“Warrick, was there any evidence of another body in that SUV?”

“Not that we could tell,” Warrick replied frowning. “Why?”

Sage looked at Warrick as he came up. She held her light up in her right and the gun in the other. She then looked at what she was staring at. The light shone on another body. She looked at it and said, “Cause I think this case just got a little more interesting.”


	5. Chapter 5

The sun looked bright for the morning and things were just wrapping up at the crime scene. The coroner was just loading up the second body into the van. Sage was finishing bagging the last of the evidence while Warrick was giving a last look and talking with the detectives and the learning more from the ones who found the initial body.

Loading up the Tahoe, she looked at the evidence and the various containers like the film in the fridge and other odds and ends. She blinked as she sighed, thinking about the long road ahead. She just shut the door when Warrick came up. She glanced at him and asked, “Ready to roll?”

“Go ahead. I’ll finish up here,” Warrick replied. There wasn’t that much left to do but he got the feeling that Sage was up to logging in what they collected. “Don’t worry about it Parker.”

“I’m not worried,” Sage replied. “Just trying to make sense of it.”

“Don’t get ahead of the evidence now. Still need to process it,” Warrick replied in soft tone. He studied her for a moment. In the three months she had been on graveyard, he noticed how she would become thoughtful at times. It was sort of like how Grissom would become when he was thinking. It actually made her seem like she was really young, almost like Greg’s age. “But do you have any thoughts about this case?”

Sage looked up at the tall CSI after looking at the alleyway. “Not sure. But I do find it odd the way the case is turning out with what we have. Abuse and homicide…” She made a slight frown. “Sorry, just thinking.”

“Anything like it at Metro?”

“Too many,” Sage replied as she closed the back. “And that is combined CPS call ins and domestic disturbances. Homicide was my gig but occasionally I was called out especially if it involved children.” She leaned against the door to the Tahoe. “You know it doesn’t matter if it is six or nineteen or even thirty; abuse is abuse and in this case it looks like the abuser was trying to shut up the abused.”

Warrick looked at Sage with a slight look as she thought it through. He could tell that she was going to probably pull a Grissom and work through a double. She had that same intense look she got when she was assigned lab days or she volunteered on Greg’s nights off. Just like Grissom. “Seems like that at face value.”

“Right. I’ll get to the lab. With luck maybe might something on this.” Sage opened the door to hop in. “Catch ya back at the lab?”

“Sure thing Parker.” Warrick shut the door. He tapped the door and watched as she drove off. He then went to finish the wrap up on the scene.

In the meantime Sage made it back to the lab with no pit stops even though she was dying for a cup of coffee. She had already made up her mind to work overtime on this and considering that she had a stack of paperwork to get on; she could use that time and write it up. She was relieved that she had her field notes ready to go. First things first was to log in evidence.

She started on it, making sure that everything was neat and tidy. It was laborious but it was a necessity. She was meticulous about it and made sure that everything was in its proper place. It would take more time to go through it and process it but at least she would have help. At least she thought so. It was up to Grissom and it seemed that he was going to hear about it sooner rather than later.

“Anything on your victim?”

Sage paused in her logging to look up at the elder CSI. She straightened up and put her pen down and replied, “Very much alive and suffering from post-concussive syndrome quite possibly from chronic abuse. He is actually a missing person.”

Grissom studied Sage as she picked up her pen. He had noticed that she was fairly ambidextrous. Her primary writing hand was her left but she could switch just as easily to the right. It explained why she kept her gun mounted on the right when she was out in the field. She was most proficient at it when she was working in the DNA lab or trace. “Anything else?”

“His brother was found dead in an alleyway not too far by vehicle from where the accident was. Second DB might be the shooter. Found him with the gun but haven’t yet run for prints yet.”

“And your assessment?”

Sage looked up and saw Grissom looking at her expectantly. She felt her lips twitch in the reflex to smile but she replied, “Robbie and Jordan Cullen were taken to that alleyway. Photos of Jordan’s wrists and bruising suggest chronic abuse as well. Quite possibly the kidnapper and possibly abuser was tired of them and decided to get rid of them. Victims fought back and possibly John Doe shoots Jordan and turns on Robbie. Robbie would have the capability to turn the gun on his attacker and shoot him. Leave the gun at the scene and take off. Why he would leave Jordan, he probably assumed that he was dead but blood drops pointed that Jordan managed to move before finally bleeding out. Circumstantial since we just collected.”

Grissom nodded. “Very good.”

Sage pursed her lips before asking, “Grissom, why bother to keep this separate? It looks like the two are related to each other.”

“You said it yourself, victim could be suspect.”

“Yeah but it looks like there is more to it and there is still the fact that Robbie mentioned a Rachel. Lockwood is checking out missing persons and…” Sage shrugged her shoulders.

“You may be right, which is why I’m going to officially make it a single case and you, Warrick and Nick work it.”

“Another training exercise?” Sage looked at Grissom with a raised brow and a slight smirk. She was well aware of Grissom’s quirks. She had refused to give her blood for experimentation on her first day, knowing what it was for; so many reasons as Grissom would say. She used to do the same.

“I know you’re capable Sage.”

“Objectivity and the fact that I was involved in the accident,” Sage replied nodding. Apart from Greg, Grissom was the only one who called her by her first name. Occasionally he interchanged it with ‘Parker’ but for the most part it was Sage. “Gotcha.”

Grissom gave a slight smile at that. He was well aware of her reputation but it seemed that she was content being in a non-supervisory capacity. True she took control of DNA and trace when her days came up but collection and processing she was happy with. “You three work together but follow the abuse angle Sage. Since you think that there is more that the victim isn’t telling you…”

“Yep. I go in and do my shrink thing. Makes me wonder why I even bothered,” Sage replied giving a slight look of exasperation.

“And you’re good at it. Catherine is a people-person and so are you.” Grissom turned to leave. He paused and added, “By the way the next strange and unusual case that crops up, you’re with me. Call it a proficiency.”

Sage gave a slight smile after watching Grissom leave. She had been in his office a few times to look at his specimens and they talked about them. She said that the cases that really made the job interesting were the unusual circumstances like a ritual killing of a pig but initially was thought to be human. That led to a conversation about similar ones in Clark County and she stated she was curious about the people of Nevada. It seemed that Grissom remembered and mentioned it.

It certainly did lift her mood as she finished logging in evidence. It was enough for her to hum and occasionally form words as she finished the last of it. Finally she could get started on her paperwork.

****

Doc Robbins looked at the three bodies laid out on the tables. He had paged Warrick and Sage since he was finished with the autopsies. He was surprised when only Warrick showed up. “I paged Parker.”

“Working on another angle,” Warrick explained. “And they are connected.”

“And you’re the primary,” Robbins finished. “No biggie so let’s get started. Where do you want to start?”

“Let’s start with the driver.”

Robbins walked over to the driver of the SUV. “Brian, no last name. Cause of death internal bleeding. The spleen ruptured as a result from the impact. Contusions indicate that he hit the driver side of the door indicating severe hemorrhaging.”

“Any bruises or injuries not related to the crash?” Warrick looked at the body after glancing at the coroner.

“I found some a couple of days old were the most recent, similar to the ones inflicted on Jordan Callen over there. I also found these.” Doc Robbins picked up the left arm.

“What is that?”

“Well after an interesting lesson from Parker on cicatrization and scarring patterns, these appear to be cigar burns. Controlled and maximized to be permanent and painful upon infliction.” As Robbins said it, they both could visualize the motions as it was being done. Down to the sizzling of flesh; it was eerie.

“Damn,” Warrick replied as he looked at the burns. They were confined to one space and each one was distinctive. “Anything else?”

“I did find partially healed fractures in the cranium to the zygomatics, the eyes. Some fractures on the humerus and radius and ulna. The most recent not from the accident are a couple of broken ribs and a hairline fracture in the wrist.”

“Consistent with domestic violence. He must have been in pain.”

“Probably was used to it given that he was driving. I’d estimate that he’s probably been abused for years.” Robbins didn’t like it either and he knew that it was only going to get worse with the fifteen year old.

Warrick looked at the guy who was estimated to be at least twenty, a year maybe two older than their live one. According to Sage, Robbie and Jordan had been missing for five years. This one might have been gone longer. “Who would do something like that?”

“Someone with a lot of rage, a need for dominance. That’s Parker’s area,” Robbins pointed out. “I did note some dust like particles. Powdery. I sent a sample of it to trace and had a tox panel ordered just in case.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me if he was popping pain pills given the condition,” Warrick replied. “You do the same for Callen?”

Robbins walked over towards Jordan Callen. “Jordan Callen, aged 15. Cause of death two gunshot wounds to the chest. Exsanguination.”

“That was fairly obvious, Doc,” Warrick replied. “We recovered the possible weapon at the scene.”

“Possibly the abuser turned on the abused,” Robbins replied.

“Parker suggested the same thing but knowing her,” Warrick let that slide. He picked up the markers to put into the entry wounds. Following the hole he put the protector. “About 85 degree angle. Consistent that he was shot face to face.”

“David said that there was a blood trail.” Robbins looked up at Warrick as he removed the markers.

“Yeah. In the same area where we found John Doe here and the murder weapon. Figured that the kid may have crawled away after being hit. Thing is how…?”

“Adrenaline does interesting things. Given that one punctured the lung and the other in the pericardium, I’m surprised. Reasonable to believe that maybe he has fought back before. There were contusions consistent with defensive wounds on his hands and he did have some partially healed fractures and bruising as recent as a couple of days ago.”

Warrick was willing to buy that a little. The human element was probably the most unpredictable at certain times like extreme conditions. Looking at Jordan he asked, “Was there anything like cigar burns?”

“Nothing like that. Mostly this kid was punched with fists. I did detect some indication of molestation but not conclusive. To be sure I collected an SAE kit and sent it up to Greg, priority. I also found this.” Robbins picked up a container that had little tiny bugs in them. “Found them in his hair. Not sure if it is from the alleyway or not. Looks like maggots but they’re not.”

“Oh mealworms. They feed on grains,” Warrick pointed out. “Saw one of Grissom’s experiments and it was… interesting.”

Robbins gave a slight look, “Well I don’t know if it is probative or not but there you go.” He handed the container to Warrick.

Warrick made a slight face. At least there was something to entertain Grissom with. It also looked like they were going to be busy trying to find where they came from since they had been missing for about five years and Brian was missing longer probably. He looked at the kid and noted the bruises and ligature marks. “Parker found ligature marks on his brother and I see them here.”

“Yes. Suggests that they were tied up at some point and within the last day or so since they are partially healed. The underside was smooth, almost like his wrist was tied to something.”

“Thinking a chair maybe?” Warrick raised a brow at that.

“Possible since I did find some on the ankles but not to the extent as the wrists. Before you ask, I didn’t find anything on Brian except faint scarring from a similar situation and it was all around the wrists. Ankles, nothing.”

Warrick wondered about that. It almost sounded like torture. _What did the pervert do to these kids?_ He wasn’t sure of what to make of it. Well the evidence was going to have to speak for itself and Sage was going to have to talk to the kid again. He just wondered if she was going to be up to it. He knew she was no wall flower but even this made his stomach churn. “Okay, anything else?”

“Tox panel like the other and we move on to John Doe.”

****

Nick walked through the halls feeling a bit disappointed in the fact that the dust samples from the SUV was basic desert dirt. That really didn’t help much since they were in a desert and it wasn’t anything distinctive like nursery potting soil. However it was mixed with faint traces of the tar like substance he found on Robbie’s shoe. That was still pending.

The good news was that the SUV had been in the alleyway where the two other DBs were found. The tire registry confirmed that and there was the license plate number. So there were some leads. It just wasn’t a whole lot and it seemed that Sage was going to have to go in for another talk with Robbie.

Nick could say that he didn’t like the idea too much since the kid was strong enough to knock her around but even he knew she was no pushover. She made that clear when they had a DB, suspicious circumstances in one of those seedy motels. He could honestly say that their prime suspect ‘Bubba’ was singing a different tune. It made him all the more eager not to get on her bad side. Still he didn’t want to see her hurt.

The upside was that Grissom told that the three of them would be working the case together. They didn’t have to pretend that they were two separate cases. It seemed like a three CSI job to him and since Sage had cooperation from the victim, they had a good chance of finding anything else.

Passing through the hall, he noticed Sage sitting and bent over paperwork. Well it looked like she was. A closer look revealed that she was hovered over it, her pen was tapping and her eyes were closed. If he didn’t know any better she looked like she was asleep. Actually she did and the only thing that betrayed that was the pen tapping.

Unable to resist, Nick walked into the room and sat across from Sage to watch. She didn’t appear to react to any sound he made. She was still tapping her pen and her eyes remained shut. Nick continued to observe her and that was when he heard it. He heard the distinct telltale sound of humming mingled with words. In other words she was singing in her sleep and that was if she was sleeping.

“The longer you continue to stare at me, you’ll miss this pen being flicked at your face.”

Nick sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. His expression was more curious since he was certain that she was not aware of what was going on. She certainly tuned out people when she was busy. “What makes you so sure that you won’t miss?”

Sage slowly opened her eyes and blinked owlishly at Nick. Her right had been pressed against her forehead and she looked like she was bored. “That’s for me to know and maybe for you to find out.” She straightened up and rubbed her eyes. “So what brings you here?”

“Nothing except I’m curious as to why you didn’t go to autopsy with Warrick,” Nick replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

“The not so glorious part: paperwork and…” Sage looked at her piles organized in her own meticulous way. “And I was trying to get a feel about the abuser.”

“Profiling.”

“Thanks for stating the obvious but yeah. Abuse victims are consistent in injuries but there are sometimes distinct types of injuries. Of course that could be suggestive of torture or, in cases of death, suggestive of serials.”

“And you’re thinking the perp is in the system?”

“Not always but with behavioral analysis profiles that are developed give a better idea of what to look for and in some cases help identify potential victims, comfort zones and sometimes answer the why.” Sage tapped her pen and wrote something down on what she was working on.

“And what about the evidence?”

“Victim, suspect and crime scene. The other stuff is gravy and if this guy has other victims, better to know what he likes and track him that way. But I’m not finished; I need to talk to Robbie. This is just paperwork.” Sage gave a slight smile as she went back to flipping through sheets and cross checking with notes. “Archie still working traffic cams?”

“Going through it,” Nick replied. He was about to say more when he was paged. At the same time Sage’s went off too. “Looks like Bobby.”

Sage checked, “Yep. Must have something on our bullets and gun.” She folded up her folders and set it aside for later and got up. “By the way, I wasn’t sleeping.”

“Do you ever?” Nick gave a grin to indicate that he was teasing her.

Sage gave a wry look mingled with a smile and walked out of the room she had been working in followed by Nick. They made their way to the ballistics lab where Bobby was waiting. Nick asked, “What do you have?”

Bobby looked at the pair and began, “Well I can say that the bullets from your gun match the ones found in your SUV and victim. I also checked the slugs pulled from the victim’s brother and they are a match.”

“So they were shot with the same gun?” Sage looked down the scope to take a look.

“Yeah,” Bobby replied, “I checked the database and the striations match bullets from a home invasion about five years ago.” He showed them the file.

“I remember this,” Nick replied as he read it. He explained for Sage’s benefit, “Family in Henderson was home and two guys come in. Police found the husband dead and the wife in shock and no sign of their kid. Kept looking and mom ended up dying.”

Sage had been listening and looking at the gun. She noticed something on the grip. Prints she had lifted and gave them to Mandy. She almost smiled at the memory of that conversation. Mandy said she didn’t need an encore and her choice was hardly original since someone else did it. It had Sage curious about who it was but she resisted the urge to ask and told Mandy that she was going to have to come up with something for her to do.

As she was listening a thought formed. She looked over at the file and asked, “You got a name on the missing girl?”

Nick looked and replied, “A Rachel Lawson, aged 14 when taken. You thinking something?”

“Maybe,” Sage replied. She knew she was in the habit of saying that when she had an idea and wasn’t sure of what yet. She looked at Bobby and asked, “Can you get a serial off it?”

“Sure thing.”

Sage nodded and looked at Nick who was waited for her eventual explanation. “Might be a longshot but maybe the girl taken might be the Rachel that has been mentioned. You got a photo of her?”

“What do you take me for?” Nick replied as he handed it to her.

“General dogsbody,” Sage replied studying the photo. She had an idea in mind and had seen it done once with soldiers but she wasn’t going to go to that extreme. Still a picture was better than nothing and if it was their girl, she wouldn’t have changed too much.

Nick shook his head slightly but he knew enough to recognize that an idea was forming in that head of hers and she was aiming to follow through with it. “Thanks a lot.”

Sage gave a slight look as she started walking out of the ballistics lab. She turned and looked at Bobby, “You’ll page when you get something?”

“Always do Sparks.”


	6. Chapter 6

“Sparks?”

“Just a nickname. The techs like playing with my name. Better than the spice jokes,” Sage replied as she walked through the lab. She knew it was going to be picked up sooner or later by the others. “And no you can’t use it. It will make the techs jealous.”

“I won’t but it fits your personality,” Nick countered not able to resist the small grin.

“Stop flirting with me and pay attention,” Sage replied giving a small smile in return. “Now I am thinking that maybe Robbie, Jordan and Rachel were abducted around the same time. MOs are different but there might be some commonalities.” She opened the file, “Like all three of them went to church, good grades… got a preference there.”

“Okay but even if they were part of a preference, we don’t know if the Henderson abduction is related to your missing persons and this one.” Nick followed side by side with Sage. Her gruff tone didn’t mean anything and he said something similar a week ago. It was part of the reason why people thought that she and Greg were together and they were just tolerating each other.

“That’s where the leg work comes in handy and while it would be Lockwood’s purview on questioning Robbie, we sort of know where that is going to lead.”

“Right…”

“There you are. I swear Parker you just zoom in and out of here like there’s no tomorrow,” Warrick replied catching up. “Any reason why you opted out of the autopsy?”

“None except housekeeping and Bobby paged. Bullets matched our gun on both sets. He’s running serial for possible owner.” She handed the file over.

“Yeah and there is a possibility connected to another abduction, the Henderson, home invasion/ kidnapping one,” Nick added.

“I remember that. So you think…”

“Not sure,” Sage admitted, “But it’s sort of looking like a mini pay day. We have to go back to the victim still alive and Archie is still working on traffic cams.”

“Which I have finished,” Archie called out.

That was the cue to follow the video tech into his area and view the tapes. He showed him what was caught on camera. Filled in the blanks between the two scenes and from there was able to back track to where it came from before there was no more. It was a start… sort of.

“That looks like it came from the direction of Lake Mead,” Nick pointed out.

That hardly meant anything to Sage. She was not familiar with the territory around Vegas so she had no idea as to the layout. True she did study maps but that didn’t mean much unless she was out there to see it.

“Yeah but there are unincorporated neighborhoods out that way. Lot of doors to be knocking on,” Warrick replied as Archie replayed the footage.

Sage said nothing as she watched. Well the dust they got was from the desert area. If they had a chemical makeup of it, maybe. It was becoming more evident that she was going to have to talk to Robbie. She was stalling and she knew it. In cases, time was a big factor when it came to leads. By stalling she was giving him ample opportunity to change his story.

While she was sitting there, she got a page. She looked at it and frowned a bit at the ID. That was strange. “Huh reception. Excuse me.”

“Don’t mind us,” Warrick replied. “We’ll still be sitting here.”

“I know you will,” Sage replied as she gave an absent minded wave. She didn’t notice that Nick had followed her out but was keeping his distance.

Archie watched them leave and looked at Warrick, “Going at it again?”

“Just the usual.”

Meanwhile Sage headed towards the front where messages were kept. She spoke to the receptionist, “Someone was looking for me?”

The receptionist pointed in a direction and Sage followed it. Standing by the wall, huddled slightly and looking nervous was Robbie Callen. He didn’t quite look good and that could be that he had just been shot and was moving around like it was nothing. He was standing by a uniform so Sage was able to guess that he might have asked for a ride here. Frowning slightly in confusion but it switched to one that deigned to be objective, she walked over and said, “Robbie?”

Robbie looked at her and said, “I came to talk. To help you find my brother and Rachel.”

Sage nodded still trying not to frown in a puzzled way, “Okay but how are you here?”

“Signed out AMA and asked the cop to take me here.” Robbie gave a shrug of his shoulders. “Doc said I was good anyway. Just a matter of getting rest.”

Sage looked at the uniform who nodded to indicate that he was telling the truth. She nodded and led Robbie. This was unexpected.

****

“First off I’m sorry about the light thing.” Robbie sat in the interview room rubbing his arms. He felt uncomfortable in the scrubs that the hospital gave him but they were clothes. “I don’t like bright things in my eyes.”

“Not your fault,” Sage replied, “It is a common symptom of post-concussive syndrome. I’m not mad.” She was calm about it and she really didn’t pick up any threats from Robbie. Probably it was foolish to not have at least a uniform in there but one was outside the door and Nick and Warrick were watching with Lockwood.

Robbie gave a tentative smile. He tapped the table in front of him for a moment. “I know Jordan is dead. I saw him get shot and that was after I tried to protect him. Right now I’m concerned with finding Rachel.”

“Rachel Lawson?” Sage watched Robbie’s reactions. She took the photo that was last taken and slid it across so he could see it. “That her?”

Robbie looked at the picture. He gave a nod. “Yes.”

“Well there’s our connection to Henderson,” Warrick pointed out. He was surprised that this kid was folding so easily. He was also wary since it could mean that he was manipulating the situation.

“Yeah well give Parker time,” Nick said. “She’ll get him to say more.” He knew she could do it.

“So you were living together?”

Robbie looked at Sage and thought she was crazy. He came to tell his story and she was asking questions that sounded pretty dumb. He replied, “Rachel, me and Jordan are family. Brian was supposed to be our friend. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Enlighten me,” Sage countered. When Robbie refused, she leaned forward and added, “I know that you and your brother have identical marks on your wrists and ankles. Bruising consistent with being someone’s punching bag; you were both taken from your foster parents. Rachel was kidnapped. Fill in some blanks for me. If you want us to find her you will tell us.”

Robbie glanced out the window and then back at Sage. “Jordan and I were on our way home from school. A van pulls up and we were stuffed inside. We were told that we were chosen. The driver was the leader and he took us to Cavalry. He said we needed spiritual training.”

“Were there any others?”

“Brian was there. He was older and showed us what to do. Rachel came a couple of weeks later.”

“What happened there?”

“We worked. We worked and studied but it wasn’t right. We didn’t like what he had to say. So he would punish us. He said that sparing the rod spoiled the child and that we were spoiled. I took the brunt of it because I was older and I took the heat for whatever wrong Jordan and Rachel had done.” Robbie looked down at the table and tapped the surface again. He looked at Sage and then at the windows. “Is this a peep show?”

“Protocol,” Sage replied completely BSing that one. “Can you go back to why you were at the alley?”

“Yeah, Bob was having Brian take us on a long walk off a short pier. Bob is the one that does what the guy who was teaching us says.” Robbie looked at the table. He drummed his fingers lightly as he remembered that night. “We had failed but not Rachel. She had disobeyed but she was given a second chance. We used up ours.”

Sage listened and observed Robbie. Being a creature of habit, she had a notepad along with the file she had available. She made notes of her observations in her meticulous hand. Frowning she asked, “You tried to escape before haven’t you?”

Robbie didn’t look at Sage but nodded. “They caught up to us at the safe house and Brian gave us up. I don’t know exactly where it was but…” Robbie paused as he remembered what happened. He could hear the noise in his head and the shouts, the screams and the begging. “It wasn’t far from the highway into the city. We used the SUV from the house.”

Warrick was about to say something about what he heard when Brass came up, “Hey Warrick. Your SUV, got a name to go with the plates. The name is Bob Maddox of Boulder City.”

Nick made a motion, “Hey the cameras indicated the vehicle came from that direction.”

“And we got a confirmation from our witness,” Warrick added. “Got an address Brass?”

“Ready to go when you are.”

At that moment, Sage came out of the room with her stuff. “Kid’s done for now. He’s exhausted and probably from the AMA.”

Lockwood was looking at the kid as he was resting his head on his arms. “Is he all right?”

“For now,” Sage replied. “What I can say is that he was able to give me a description of the house that he, his brother and Rachel escaped to. He also said that Rachel was given a second chance.”

“So you’re thinking that she might still be at the house?” Warrick looked at Sage after glancing at the kid. In fact every single one of them was observing.

“That is a possibility. There is also a place he refers to as Calvary and I am thinking that it must not be too far from the house assuming that they made it on foot.” Sage tapped the edge of her file while Brass answered a call from his cell. “I know people have historically been known to walk great distances so it could be possible.”

“Well Brass got a lead on the plates to the SUV and we’ve got an address. Up for a road trip?” Warrick looked at Sage.

“What about him?” Sage countered with a slight motion towards Robbie.

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Nick volunteered. Lockwood agreed to it at the same time.

At that point Brass was finished with his conversation and Warrick said that they were ready to roll out. Sage couldn’t help but study Robbie with a slight frown. She got the feeling that he was hiding something more. He gave what he could about Rachel but something about how he retreated into his lapses of silence… She followed Warrick and hummed slightly to herself her favorite hymn, thinking about her feelings.

****

“Nice,” Warrick commented as he and Sage got out of the vehicle they took to Boulder City. It had been a long drive and he was the one driving.

“Appearances can be pretty but useless sometimes,” Sage replied as she adjusted the sunglasses on her face. She was relieved to have taken off her reading glasses since she had the bad habit of leaving them on and then giving herself headaches from them. A friend told her to consider laser surgery but she never did give it serious consideration. “Especially when a possible killer/kidnapper can hide behind it,” she added.

“Now I know I brought the life of the party,” Brass commented.

“Merely an observation.” Sage gave a slight smile as she followed the tall CSI and the Jersey cop to the front door. She studied the house and noted the peculiarities that Robbie had noted. She could say that they were at the right place based on the description but a defense attorney could point out that they just picked a vehicle and stole it.

“I take it the kid described the place,” Warrick leaned in to whisper.

“Something like that.” Sage looked around until she noticed the front door. It was slightly open and the handle looked like it had been broken into. “Jim,” she said looking at it.

Brass was already on it. He had his service weapon out and at the door. “Las Vegas police,” he called out. When he didn’t receive an answer, he opened the door and walked in. He motioned for the two CSIs to stay put while he cleared the scene.

Warrick and Sage did what they were told for the most part. Both had their hands on their weapons and ready to fire just in case the suspect was still on location. They didn’t have long to wait when Brass called the all clear. Sage hesitated when holstering her weapon but eventually did. She then picked up her kit and followed Warrick into the house and into the foyer that opened up into the living room which was probably as big as her place in combined square feet though that was probably exaggerating just a bit.

“Well, looks like no one’s home,” Brass said as he joined them. “Could be that someone broke in and looted the place.”

Warrick looked around, “But there are no signs of the scene actually being tossed or anything that would make it look like a robbery.” He shone his light around until he spotted a set of footprints. They were dirty and showed up nicely on the pale carpet. They led towards the kitchen and the back. “Maybe someone was here and exited the back,” he commented and followed the trail.

Meanwhile Sage was studying the objects in the house starting with the living room. She had noticed the religious paraphernalia and the general look of the furniture. On the surface it spoke of someone that was extremely religious and basically like the good wholesome family that went to church every Sunday and that kind of thing. The opulence that characterized Vegas was virtually nonexistent in the place.

Sage wandered through the house, looking at the walls and the floor but getting a general look of the house. She got an uncomfortable tick at the back of her mind as she observed picture frames with Scriptures that pointed to punishment and damnation for transgressions. Several were repeated over and over as if to say that punishment of the flesh was a necessity. It reminded her of Sunday School… well one of them.

_“Ms. Greely why do we have church on Sunday?”_

_“Because God said so.”_

_“But it says on the seventh day He rested. The seventh day would be Saturday so why do we have service on Sunday?”_

_Sage had been listening to the conversation between Ms. Greely and Terrence Pollard, the new kid. She liked him in that he was asking questions. She had questions too and she would ask Ms. Greely but was told that she was evil for questioning God’s word. Daddy told her to save her questions for him and he would explain them. Mama just shook her head in exasperation at that._

_Sage listened to the exasperation and then without a second thought, she raised her hand, “Ms. Greely?”_

_“Yes Sage?” Ms. Greely looked like she was ready to yell at the whole class for the disruption especially from the eldest of the Parker family._

_“Ms. Greely the reason why we have church on Sunday is because of the emperor Constatine. Sunday was a day to worship the sun god and since he was trying to…”_

_“How dare you blaspheme!”_

Sage was staring at one of the verses hanging on the wall. Nowhere did it speak of any of the verses like from Matthew about not judging others lest you be judged or the Beatitudes. This was all heavy stuff taken from Revelation and Leviticus and a bit of Exodus and taken out of context. It was vaguely disturbing. She continued to look at the items hanging on the walls.

Warrick had finished looking around but there was nothing that would indicate something was connected. There was the possibility that something had been taken since he found a void of something that might have been large and heavy. He did become aware that it was really quiet in there and realized that he hadn’t heard anything from Sage. He looked at Brass and asked, “Jim, have you seen Parker?”

“Not in a while though she did go down the hall.”

Warrick frowned a bit and was about to call out her name when she appeared. She appeared a bit distracted but she was looking at the room and he could tell her full concentration was on it. He had to check though, “You find anything?”

“Lot of the same,” Sage replied as she picked up her camera and began looking around. She looked at Warrick and explained, “There’s a lot of religious paraphernalia around… mostly the kind of things you’d find in a picture frame but mostly really old school like fire and brimstone.”

“Thinking a crazy?” Brass looked a little bored as he said it. He was slowly getting used to Sage’s fascination of human behavior that was similar to Grissom’s excitement over the bugs and strange circumstances.

“Not all believers are crazy, Brass,” Sage replied as she looked at one painting that depicted a rather violent scene of Revelations. “This guy was a believer but probably was scared by the fire and brimstone and wrathful God part. It was a good way to get your kids to behave aside from the superstitions they told.”

“Yeah well my mother said something that if you spared the rod and spoiled the child.” Brass looked around and studied Sage as she studied the painting.

“Yeah well I’ve got a nineteen year old where the rod wasn’t spared and then some and the same seemed to be done to his brother and the driver and possible our missing girl,” Sage replied as she continued to look around.

“And nothing except that something heavy may be missing,” Warrick added. “Parker, look at this.”

Sage dropped what she was doing and came over to look at Warrick had been looking at. She could see the void and frowned, “Something missing.”

“Yeah and judging from the imprint, it must be heavy,” Warrick replied as he swabbed around the area. He tested it for blood but no go. “No blood.”

Sage studied it and took a couple of photos. She thought about it some more as she studied it. “I think I know what it is.”

“What?”

“It’s a statue of a saint,” Sage replied. She pointed at the outline, “The base gives it away a little. I’m actually a bit surprised since saints are commonly associated with Roman Catholicism. The rest of the stuff here is consistent with Protestant belief.” She frowned in confusion.

“And how do you know that it’s a statue?” Brass raised his brow. He was prepared for an explanation a la Grissom.

“I had a roommate at Ole Miss that was Catholic… more along the lines of Mexican Catholicism. She had one of her patron saint on her dresser,” Sage explained. “Actually she had a couple and a few medallions.”

“I sense a story behind that,” Warrick replied as he sat back to look around.

“Yeah well,” Sage replied as she got on her hands and knees. She shown her light on the carpeting and twisted her head sideways. She moved it slowly to look around and found something that would prove interesting. Reaching with a pair of tweezers, she clamped her discovery within them. “She was determined to keep me out of trouble. She used to tie a St. Michael to my bag and tuck St. Thomas Aquinas in my jacket pocket and then would pray the rosary while I would study.”

“No wonder you’re good at ignoring people,” Warrick replied after making a sound.

Sage made a humming sound as she raised the tweezers to inspect the piece. It was a piece of ceramic and it was painted. It was large but not too large and easily missed. As she turned it over she spotted discoloration. She gave a slight smile, “And looks like our missing item is a statue and it might have blood.” She handed them over to Warrick for his inspection.

That was when a sound occurred. Brass brought up his weapon. Sage paused to listen and Warrick held onto the tweezers. The scene was clear. Brass cleared it but there was someone else there. Sage raised her hand and listened.

It was a slight thumping sound and it was dull, like someone was stuck in a room. On her hands and knees Sage moved and listened. She motioned for the others to remain still as she moved forward. She came to the edge of the rug and leaned forward to listen. She also looked and found a hole and fingered it.

Looking on her vest, she pulled out the multi-tool that she kept and picked a tool and inserted it into the hole. She looked at Brass who was ready to fire just in case and Warrick had his hand on his gun, ready to draw. She looked down and pulled to lift a panel that opened into darkness. She leaned over and flashed her light into the hole.

Suddenly a hand reached up and grabbed her by the wrist. Sage motioned for Brass to stay his weapon since it looked like she was being pulled into the hole. She looked in and saw a girl, eighteen or nineteen, and she had lacerations on her head and she was covered in dirt. She was trying to breathe but she held on.

Warrick checked and looked at Brass, “Call an ambulance.”


	7. Chapter 7

Sage never thought that she would be back at Desert Palms so soon. Then again she didn’t expect to have a scared eighteen year old girl maintain a death grip on her wrist all the way to the ambulance. The same girl screamed the moment the EMT’s managed to separate them and wouldn’t calm down until Warrick told her to go with and he would call Nick.

So she rode with the girl to Desert Palms and managed to confirm that the girl’s name was Rachel. All the way there, the girl held onto her hand. She kept asking if they were safe. Sage wasn’t sure what to say but she knew that she had to keep her calm. So she said that she was safe and that they were going to the hospital to get her checked out. It was the truth and sometimes it worked better than fibs.

Then came the moment of truth when they were actually at the hospital and it became necessary for Sage to let go. It took a bit of convincing but she managed to convince the girl that she wasn’t going anywhere but staying outside until the doctor’s finished what they needed to do. Surprisingly it worked and the girl acquiesced to being examined and Sage stayed behind the doors rubbing her hand.

_Girl has a tight grip._

Things didn’t go quite right though. At one point the girl freaked out after the SAE kit was collected and she started trying to throw stuff to get away. Sage was prevented from entering and they gave the girl a sedative. Now she was sleeping and was going to be out of it for some time. Sage watched through the window with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Bruises, a couple of lacerations, a little dehydrated and a couple of contusions to the head and a severe concussion,” the doctor was saying.

“So you’re saying that she’s lucky,” Sage replied still looking at the girl. She then looked at the doctor.

Dr. Lee Brewer had seen abuse victims before and had been in the ER for several years. She had seen quite a bit in terms of the injuries. She knew what she was talking about and replied, “Yes. We made out a slight skull fracture so it will be touch and go.”

“Any signs of sexual trauma?”

“We took an SAE kit and it’s ready for processing,” Dr. Brewer replied. She paused a moment before asking, “Is this related to the boy that was brought in? The one with the gunshot to the abdomen?”

Sage looked at Dr. Brewer, “You know I really can’t discuss the case Doc.” She looked at the girl sleeping. There were dark circles on the girl’s eyes and she could make out bruises on her face and the faint patterns of ligature marks. “It’s just really lousy that there are things out there that can do things like this to someone like her.”

Dr. Brewer studied the CSI staring through the window. Granted the appearance was something that she wouldn’t have considered, aka the dog collar, but the demeanor was someone who was a caring person as well as determined to see things through. She agreed, “I agree, which is why there are people like you to speak for the victim.”

“We see people on their worst day Doc,” Sage nodded as she glanced at her, “We get to know them. Probably better than we do our own families.” She sighed, “Well I guess I better get going. Is the kit ready for transport?”

“It is. I doubt she will wake anytime soon. We plan on keeping her sedated until some swelling goes down so it will have to speak for her,” Dr. Brewer said as she made some notations on the chart. “I will have the nurse get it for you.”

“Thank you, Doc.”

Once the doctor left, Sage studied the girl. It marveled and angered her that this girl survived ten years in whatever conditions she was in and then only to end up sedated because of trauma. Her expression was grim as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. She was going to need a lift from someone. She waited until it was picked up, “Hey, it’s me. Yeah, I’m fine. Look um is Jim or Lockwood available. Yeah I got the kit.”

The voice on the end had her frown a bit and she replied, “Don’t be stupid there’s the scene to process.” She sighed at the reply and acquiesced, “Alright… but I’m not going to obey house rules.”

Hanging up the phone, she turned back to watch the girl. After speaking to Robbie, she had read up on the Lawson case. She learned the details of Rachel and her parents, Jack and Debbie Lawson. From all accounts it was like a typical good old fashioned family. Parents both worked but were always home, the daughter played soccer and the whole family volunteered at their local church. She couldn’t see what interest murdering them would possibly be. Of course sometimes people were just plain crazy and there was no fancy term for that.

Robbie and Jordan came from a similar background. Robbie was into football and Jordan was a swimmer. Mom was a stay at home mom and Dad was an office type. The foster parents were one of the better sets she had seen. Well certainly better than the ones CPS cited. The only downside was that they gave up on them sort of. One could hardly blame them since they had two others under their care and they were one of the few that were willing to have older children placed with them.

“CSI Parker?”

Sage looked to see the nurse with the SAE kit. “That’s me.”

“Dr. Brewer said to make sure you get this ASAP.”

“Thank you,” Sage replied as she accepted the kit. “When the patient is off the sedatives, can you call the lab? We’ll need to question her.”

“Dr. Brewer has your number.”

Sage nodded when she felt her phone go off. She knew that was her ride was there and headed out to meet them. She was out the door when she felt a huge yawn come up and tried to stifle it. It was going to be a long case.

****

Robbie sat looking bored. He looked around the room he had been put into and observed the people moving in and out. He then looked at his hands on the table and studied them. The backs of his hands looked relatively fine with just a couple of scratches from the accident. It was the palms that were a different story.

He turned his hands over and looked at them. He could make out faint scars from the when the ruler cut his palm. Some were when he fought back the last couple of times. His right pinky was a little crooked having been dislocated and it hadn’t healed quite right after he set it.

His wrists were red and bruised from the rope. Some parts didn’t hurt anymore since he had been tied so often. He ran his thumb gently over the ligature marks and studied them to see what he needed, if he needed anything for them. It really wasn’t too bad. All he would need was a salve of some sort. As he rubbed them, he thought about his brother and Rachel.

He remembered how scared Jordan was when they were first taken. His little brother looked up to him to make sure that things were going to be okay. He did by being the one that asked the questions and getting in trouble even though it was easily Jordan’s fault according to Old Moses, the creepy guy that said that they were chosen… whatever the hell that meant.

He had only told the bare bones to the woman CSI Parker. He wanted to tell the whole truth but he had learned how to be careful with what he said and did especially when Bob was around. Now that he thought about it, Brian must have been a snitch on them when they made plans. Five long years they waited and now it is this. He only hoped that they could find Rachel.

He rested his head on his arms to get some sleep. He couldn’t really get it in the hospital and he had nowhere else to go at the moment. At least here he felt relatively safe but he only trusted so far the woman CSI. Her partner needed to earn that but he got a good feeling about him especially when he stepped in to protect her when he swatted her light away when he got agitated by the light.

Nick paused a moment to study the kid before coming in with a bottle of water and a sandwich he grabbed from the deli. “Hey Robbie, you hungry?”

Robbie looked up to see Nick holding out the sandwich and the water. “A bit thirsty.”

Nick handed over the water and set the sandwich down as well. He had no idea what they were going to do about the kid. Legally he was an adult and didn’t have much in terms of options in regards to child services. He was sure something could be worked out once a few loose ends were tied up and he knew Sage would probably lead a crusade to at least find somewhere for him to go if the foster parents didn’t want to assume responsibility.

“You don’t have to babysit me. I can find a shelter and stay. I’m not going anywhere… unless you think I’m a suspect,” Robbie said as he looked at Nick. He took a sip of water and didn’t touch the sandwich. He was hungry but he didn’t feel that hungry and he hadn’t asked for food and he didn’t want to take it without asking either.

“Just working protocol,” Nick explained.

“Yeah sure.”

“You know you got a chip on your shoulder.”

“No more than you have with your partner,” Robbie shot back. “Then again I don’t know what you’d call it but it’s cool. At least you watch out for your partner. “ He paused a moment and then added, “I did the same for Jordan.”

Nick studied the kid and noted the bruises and lacerations. The idea that someone abused this kid hit him the wrong way. At least he hadn’t punched in a wall or a door like he did with that one case. He got the impression that maybe with Sage not there, they could talk some more about things that were sensitive. “You did what any big brother would do. I guess it must have felt like you didn’t do all you could sometimes huh?”

“Sometimes,” Robbie replied. He played with the cap to the water bottle a bit. “Jordan was more… he voiced what he didn’t like more often than he should. Sometimes I could take the heat for it and sometimes I couldn’t. Bob watched us like a hawk.” He went silent for some time and looked at Nick and then around before asking, “Can I trust you with something?”

Nick saw that he was being given an opportunity to at least get something more out of the kid. “Yeah.”

“I know I can have a lawyer and stuff like that but I don’t want one.”

Nick had to admit that the kid was smart enough to know how it worked when it came to the cops. He came her on his own and waived his right then when he said that he wanted to talk to Sage. He nodded, “Okay then.”

Robbie swallowed a bit before saying in a whisper, “Bob looked at Jordan funny a lot. Jordan never said anything when they would come back from chores but I knew something was wrong. I’m glad he’s dead for that.”

Nick listened to what Robbie just said and put two and two together. He had read the prelim on Jordan and he was glad he hadn’t been there. He probably wouldn’t have been able to keep it together and that was a can of worms he didn’t want to tell anyone, least of all Sage and for reasons that had nothing to do with trust. He looked at Robbie who finally started to take the sandwich and unroll it slowly. He observed how the kid kept looking at him as if to reassure himself that he had permission to eat.

Nick saw that he was observing survivalist behaviors of a type. The wariness, the constant looking around; the kid was ever alert about his surroundings and reassuring himself that he had found a safe place. Maybe that was what Sage saw when she interviewed him before taking off for the house. He knew he could read her notes later but most terms were psychobabble as she called it but she always made a layman’s connection before filing her reports.

Robbie slowly finished unwrapping the sandwich. He saw that he wasn’t going to be pounced on for it and picked at it. He did know that he was being observed and while it made him uneasy, he could get where they were coming from. “I know that sounds bad,” he began, “But it was bad. We were supposed to be like Old Moses, the guy who said we were special. We didn’t agree even though we knew the same things. Bob tried to kill me. Jordan was protecting me.”

“Hey I get it,” Nick replied as he wrote something down. “I know. If you can think of anything that might help us find your friend…”

At that moment, Nick’s phone rang. He excused himself and went to take the call, “Go ahead Rick.”

_Hey I need you to play taxi service._

“Why?”

_We found the girl. She’s being taken to Desert Palms and Parker is with her. Collecting evidence._

“What about the scene? You need a hand?” Nick glanced at Robbie who was slowly eating the sandwich that probably tasted better if it had been homemade.

_I got it and Brass cleared the scene._

“Alright I gotcha,” Nick replied, finishing the call. He went to inform Robbie that he had to go out and that someone will keep an eye on him. He knew that Lockwood was tracking down possible relatives that may have not been mentioned in the initial reports and the officer guarding the door was watching. He informed the detective that he was leaving and went to his checked out Tahoe to help Sage out.

****

“Long shift?”

Sage looked up from the cup of iced tea she was nursing and saw the waitress. Ever since Greg showed her the favorite hangout of the graveyard shift, she made it a point to come in at least once a week for breakfast. Most of the time, she just went home or did whatever she did before catching a few Z’s before next shift.

She had dropped the SAE kit off with DNA and clocked out knowing that she would have Sheriff Mobley on her back about the overtime. She made that mistake already once within three months and decided to not do that again anytime soon. She made the joke that she might as well save it for if the sheriff had her on a case he had a vested interest in and she and the team would do all the work and he gets the glory. It produced laughs but she hardly felt them now.

In short she felt like a wimp in that she was calling it quits to catch up on her sleep. She always did and she always felt like she was letting people down when she took a break. As Grissom was fond of saying they were human too. It didn’t help that Warrick told her to go home too and usually he was the one teasing her about being a Robo-girl.

Taking a sip of tea she replied, “Something like that.” Her stomach growled but she wasn’t sure if she should eat something. The case had her bothered to the bone.

The whole thing regarding the kids being abused was one thing. The abuse on something like her faith was another. It never ceased to amaze at what people would do to their fellow man for whatever reason they conjure up. She had read the report on Jordan Callen and inwardly she cringed at that and her fist reflexively clenched into a fist.

Homicide was what she was known for back east but she was also known for her work regarding 428s and it was appreciated by CPS then. It was not that much different from the 426s except the victims had often been smaller but the look was all the same. It was one aspect of her work that she kept from everyone else when she was supervisor. Ripley was the only one who knew and would be her tagalong officer since he was a cop.

“What did that glass do to you?”

Sage frowned and looked in the direction of the newcomer. “What?”

Nick had shamelessly followed Sage to the diner and he could give the legitimate excuse that he was hungry. Besides he was off the clock too along with Warrick. They all knew the deal with overtime and Mobley’s concern with that regarding the budget. He just wanted to see if she was okay since she hadn’t said much on the way back to the lab with the SAE kit and only spoke the bare minimum. That she was spent was easy to see.

He took in the clenched fist that was now white at the knuckles. He pointed at it and said, “Just saying since you seem ready to take out that glass of tea.”

Sage looked at her hand and realized she had done it again. She loosened her fist and felt the soreness from where her nails had dug into her palms. She kept her palm face down and tapped the counter. “Oh just… thinking.”

“No surprise there. That seems to be as natural as breathing for you,” Nick countered ordering a glass of tea for himself. It sounded good for the hot Nevada day even though fall was approaching.

“I do it too much I know,” Sage replied. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and added, “So are you following me and spying on me again?”

“No. I’m off and I’m hungry.”

“I am too but nothing sounds good,” Sage replied as she fished her wallet out and pulled out some bills to pay for the tea. “I do know the bacon and eggs are good,” she added forgetting that it was late midday and the only things available were sandwiches and other things. “I’m just going to go home.”

“You should eat something at least,” Nick countered.

“I’ll eat when I get home.”

“Give your word?”

Actually Sage wasn’t in the mood for food even though her stomach was telling her otherwise. She could lie and say that she would but just go home and veg out doing her usual techniques of unwinding. A jog was out of the question but if she caught a couple of hours, she would be ready then. Then there were her other activities that kept her busy and were relaxing. She didn’t want to lie though, not to Nick so she remained silent at that and fished in her pocket for her keys to her place.

Nick took that response to be that she had no intention of doing what she suggested and she wasn’t going to lie about it either. “Parker?”

“No promises,” Sage replied.

“Meaning no,” Nick countered. He asked for the tea to be placed in a carry out cup and made to pay and leave. At least he was standing close enough so their conversation wouldn’t be overheard. “Don’t be stupid about it.”

“I’m not stupid.”

The remark came out like a random quote and there was some heat to it. Nick realized that he may have touched a nerve with that one. “Parker, just don’t do this to yourself. You don’t do anyone any good if you don’t…”

“Don’t even go there with that one Stokes,” Sage countered. She knew his intentions were good and she saw his point. Her thoughts were on other things and at the moment the basics like food and water seemed like a nuisance to her. “I told Warrick that I have my means of keeping up the first time he saw me eat two pretzels in the span of twenty minutes. I just don’t feel like heavy diner food.”

Nick motioned that he wasn’t trying to be a pain in the ass with this. “Okay then. What do you feel like?”

Sage looked at Nick like he was crazy. She then looked out the door and stared at nothing for a moment. One food came to mind and she knew she hadn’t had time the last week or so to buy more. It sounded silly but hey… She looked at Nick and said, “Peanut butter.”

“What?”

“I feel like peanut which reminds me…” She gave the cash over for her tea and added, “I gotta buy another jar.”

Nick paid for his and walked with her out. Sometimes she said bizarre things just to stir up the pot. Other times she was serious and he was a bit envious that Greg had her figured out already. “You want peanut butter?”

Sage shrugged her shoulders as she stood outside the diner. She made sure she had change in her pocket since she knew that she was hitching a ride today. “It makes me feel better and I just happen to like it.”

“Whatever happened to chocolate?”

“I prefer to wallow in peanut butter,” Sage replied hoping that would satisfy Nick’s curiosity enough to go home and she could make a trip to the store. She could pick up other stuff there too. “Just one of those things I guess.”

Nick looked at his partner and wondered if she just said that to get rid of him. She never really came out and said for someone to go away. Most of the time she would imply it in a question or something like this. “Okay. Do you need a lift?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your car’s not here and it’s not back at HQ.”

“Keeping tabs on my car now?” That time she was teasing since she knew that Nick appreciated her classic beauty. Warrick thought it was a nice piece of work too and Greg was over the move when she let him drive it.

“Just noticed that it wasn’t there.”

“It’s getting serviced. Today was the only day that Padre could get to it so… I have the bus.” Sage shrugged her shoulders like it was no big deal. “Padre picked it up while I was working.”

“So you let someone else drive your car?”

“I let you sit in it so there,” Sage replied and stuck her tongue out giving a slight smirk. She sobered and added, “Look, I know Padre. I’ve been to Vegas before I moved here. I used to come yearly and that’s how we met. It was Padre who sold me the car. He keeps it running for me.”

Nick studied his partner and had almost laughed when she stuck her tongue out at him. It reminded him of his two older sisters when they squabbled and he was caught in the middle. He felt like he stuck his foot in his mouth when he got excited about her car in the hands of someone else. “So you need a lift?”

“I’m not helpless Stokes,” Sage said with a smile. “I can manage a bus.”

“Come on, Parker. At least a ride to the store.”

“I don’t want you to think I twisted your arm.”

“Not a chance.”


	8. Chapter 8

Greg felt energized after heading home and catching a few hours. Now he was back on the case and finishing the DNA samples he had on the strange case that Warrick, Nick and Sage were working on. He was finishing the samples of the milky substance and running through and enjoying a fresh cup of coffee and he didn’t have to tap into his special stash.

Ever since Sage made the first cup on her first case here, the others seemed to have paid attention. The motor oil batch occasionally showed up but for the most part, the strength varied depending on who made it but the pots were good. Even Grissom seemed more Grissom than usual. It allowed him to relax a little even though the graveyard shift supervisor made him nervous still.

Greg had come in early to get a start on his batch and started running them against his exemplars. He had his Marilyn Manson playing as he opened his cupboard. Hanging on the inside of the door was one of his wayward pictures from the last time he and Sage hung out. It was taken at one of those ghetto carnivals or something like that and they were about to go bungee jumping.

They were just hanging out and Sage spotted the bungee jumping stand. She had commented on it being a thrill rush. He asked if she had done anything like it. Her response was, “No, but I’ve gone skydiving.”

Greg then said, “So bungee jumping is mild compared to that?”

“Hell no,” she replied. “The thrill comes from the fact that you are at the whim of the forces of nature and all you have is what you’ve prepared for. Doesn’t surfing work the same way?”

Greg couldn’t say anything about it since he was at eh whim of the elements when he went after the waves. “Sure but I can’t compare with skydiving.”

“Then why not this?” She pointed at the bungee jumping. “You and me both jump.”

Greg agreed to it after he allowed her to egg him on, calling him out on how daring he was on his other exploits. It was the best moment of his life. They snapped the picture and took additional ones when they were going to jump off. The attendant was nice enough to take that one he was looking at. The one he had hidden in his locker was when they went to the bar afterwards and had a couple of drinks and that was something to remember. Of course it sealed the deal on their relationship when he suggested the next week’s activity.

Greg continued with his work as he ran the samples. He had his notes ready to go as they started ringing up. “Yes my baby gets me something.”

The GMS always gave him a hit. He pulled the readings and looked them over. As soon as he read the results, he frowned. Something wasn’t right about this. He was certain that he had done something wrong so he did it again. He went over it again making sure no shortcuts had been taken. His music was loud but it helped steer his concentration in the direction of making sure that his readings were right.

He was concentrating so hard that when Grissom passed by on his way to his office, he had to stop and take a second look. Usually he saw the DNA tech more… animated than that. Grissom blinked and studied Greg a little more before continuing on what he was going to do chalking it up to the fact that maybe some of Sage’s work ethic rubbed off on him or he was working on something big. He passed Sara who was on her way to one of the work labs to analyze some evidence from their case. He passed by Warrick who was carrying a file and reading it. It seemed that everyone was busy and early and he couldn’t say that he looked forward to the potential memo from Mobley about the overtime.

In the meantime Warrick was looking at the file. It seemed that Bobby managed to trace the serial numbers on the gun and it was registered to their dead suspect. So there was a dead end there. Trace from the vehicle and found on the clothes of the victims indicated a possible stretch of desert but inconclusive and the dead bugs that he had were typical of the area near Lake Mead, specifically Boulder City. So it was down to fingerprints and what Greggo could get in DNA and what Sage could pry out of Robbie and the girl Rachel when she woke up.

“Hey Rick.”

Warrick turned to see Nick coming towards him. Apparently they had the same idea of coming in a few hours early to work the case and what Sage called housekeeping. “Hey Nick. Find out anything?”

“Just got in and going to see Bobby about the gun.”

“Save you the trouble. Gun’s registered to the dead guy from the alley and trace is basically somewhere in the area where we found the girl.”

“So what we have is whatever Greggo finds and what Parker can squeeze out of the kid,” Nick replied, coming to the same conclusion as Warrick. “Then again maybe the kid doesn’t need to talk to Parker. We could do that. He did open up a little yesterday.” It was a long shot but considering how open the kid was yesterday, it was worth it.

“You’re serious?”

“Kid told me that Bob, the guy from the alley, molested his brother and I read Doc Robbins’ report on that,” Nick replied. “Could be that he’s embarrassed or something.”

“But when he came down here, he wanted to talk to Parker.”

“Survivalist behaviors, Warrick,” Nick pointed out. Even in his own ears it sounded like Sage’s psychobabble but it was making the most sense at the moment. “Most likely the kid was fishing out who he can trust. He kept saying that Brian was supposed to be their friend.”

“So maybe the kid will talk?” Warrick looked at Nick with a raised brow. He didn’t doubt his friend but given the fact that previously the kid refused to talk to anyone but Sage, there was a little bit.

“Worth a try and if it doesn’t he’ll be open to talking with Parker.” Nick gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. It probably wasn’t fair to assume that Sage would even want to start another talking session with the kid since she seemed a bit down from earlier. Yet after working with her for three months so far, the whole team got the hint that when she was driven, she was driven.

Warrick was willing to go with it. “Alright let’s talk to him. Where is he anyway?”

“Lockwood said that he would have him in the interview room today. He’s still looking to see if there are any relatives that we might of missed on all three kids,” Nick replied as he motioned towards the PD end. “He’s also getting in touch with the foster parents for Robbie and Jordan.”

“That’s better than nothing though I would like to get the guy that did this,” Warrick replied. “Just so wrong.”

“Tell me about it.” Nick would have said more but he couldn’t and didn’t. There were some things he wasn’t ready to share or didn’t want to share. It never was right when a crime against a kid was committed and it didn’t matter how old either. It was just wrong on so many levels and he was guessing Sage felt the same way otherwise she wouldn’t have been making fists in the car when he drove her home.

**** 

A few necessary hours of sleep, food and a bit of exercise perked Sage up a bit and she was ready to tackle another talking to with Robbie and explain the situation with Rachel. Dr. Brewer had left a message stating that the patient was stable. She was still unconscious but no signs of permanent damage… at least in terms of the physical. It was one less thing to deal with in terms of explaining things to the victim and any relatives.

At the last minute though, since it was early, way early, before her shift was to start, she decided to pay Rachel a visit. It probably wasn’t a good idea and maybe it did fall in that category of getting personal with the case but it seemed like a good idea. She didn’t say anything about when she was coming in since she assumed that her partners wouldn’t understand where she was coming from since she could sound morbid and cold when getting down to the science.

Even though they had evidence, she wanted to take another look. She had always maintained that it was what wasn’t being said that often had the most valuable information. She believed in Grissom’s maxim that the evidence doesn’t lie but people do. By observing Rachel, Sage thought that it might help in her thinking process and maybe figure out what Robbie had meant so when she went back to question him, she had something more to stand on.

Even though she didn’t do therapy, Sage liked to get acquainted with the person. Even if it was a DB she wanted to get to know them, everything about them. It was how profiling was done. Victimology helped determine modus operandi and any other quirks that a suspect would have or go towards motive. While Grissom made it clear that they weren’t in the business of motive, Sage believed that it contributed greatly. It was a difference of opinion really and they respected each other for it.

After checking her messages and a very interesting phone call, Sage found herself in Rachel’s room just sitting in the chair provided and studying the girl. To an outsider, it would appear as if she were trying to will her awake or that she might be an artist or something. Dr. Brewer thought nothing of the sort when she did her rounds and checked on her patient. The silence was a bit unnerving though and she said, “You know you don’t have to be so quiet just sitting there staring.”

Sage looked up at the doctor and altered her expression, “Sorry. I was just… thinking.”

“Thinking?”

“It’s just something I do when I work a case. I observe the victims/suspects even after we collect evidence,” Sage replied. “I just want to understand the why.”

Dr. Brewer could get that even if it sounded a bit creepy but she had no reservations about the female CSI. What she saw was someone who felt deeply for the two victims but was self-conscious about showing it. She thought the woman was driven though and had confidence that she would catch the guys that did this to her patient. “I think I understand that.”

“You’d be one of the privileged few Doc,” Sage replied with a slight smile. She looked at the unconscious Rachel. “I’ve seen too many of these.”

“As a CSI?”

“That and a trauma shrink for CPS when they were shorthanded or had a difficult case. You know it doesn’t matter what age they are, it’s just wrong.”

Dr. Brewer could agree with that. Having seen the types of trauma human beings could inflict on each other, she was amazed that the species survived as long as it did. “You do know that talking sometimes helps. Stimulates brain function… I thought you were a doctor?”

Sage made a slight snort as she took in the teasing look Dr. Brewer was giving. “Please. I’m a Ph.D. and I _may_ have a license in psychology but I’m not a neuroscience person. I’m a scientist first.”

Dr. Brewer laughed a little, “Yeah well you better make sure that you don’t terrorize my nurses with your staring. They think you’re weird enough.”

“They can join the club because I am certain my partner thinks the same,” Sage replied as she bent over a notepad that was resting on her crossed legs.

“You mean the cute one that picked you up?”

“I hardly would call him that,” Sage replied. She didn’t deny or confirm but continued to write her thoughts and drew lines and made more notes. “He’s a general pack mule like me.”

Dr. Brewer made a slight sound at that. That wasn’t what it seemed like to her but then again the woman was a different kind of normal. “A’right then. I’ll leave you to your observations but like I said, don’t scare my nurses.”

“Oh you have nothing to worry about unless I was one of the patients,” Sage replied as she looked up. “But scout’s honor.” She made the sign for a scout and gave a smile before going back to her notes.

Dr. Brewer left making another humming sound. She knew the patient was in good hands and that nothing serious was going on. She went to go check on another patient and work on paperwork. She did have another patient she was concerned about.

Sage, in the meantime, put her pen down on her notebook and looked at the girl. She studied the girl’s features like one would a painting. As she was studying her, she noticed a chain around the girl’s neck and fished it out using the tip of her pen. It was a small gold cross. Normally it would have been removed and placed into personal effects for safe keeping. There was the possibility that Dr. Brewer or one of her nurses put it on.

The one thing that characterized the three victims, she wasn’t sure what to classify Brian as yet, had in common was that they came from families that were very devoted to the Christian life. They went to church every Sunday and from what she had been able to dig up on Robbie and Rachel was that they participated in church and school functions and they weren’t ashamed about showing it. It went to speak that the abductor had a type he liked.

Other than that, she had nothing else and no idea to what else to go on. As she sat, she glanced at her watch and noted the time and then looked at the girl. “Why would he pick you?”

It was rhetorical and led to Sage looking out the nearby window and tapping her finger slightly on her notebook. As she did so, she began humming for no reason at all. It was a nameless tune until she started putting words to it and started singing softly, “Come thou fount of every blessing Tune my heart to sing Thy grace…”

It mumbled in and out as Sage picked up her stuff and made to leave. She had time to get a cup of coffee before starting and maybe she would be nice like she intended before this case fell in her lap. She walked to the nurses’ station and said, “That was nice of you putting the girl’s necklace back on.”

“No one put anything on your girl’s neck,” the head nurse who was familiar with the case.

Sage narrowed her eyes at that realizing that someone else was there. She asked, “Can you tell me if anyone else came by to visit?”

“Yes… um… Uncle Moses.”

Sage knew something wasn’t right with that and asked, “Do you have security footage on this floor?”

“Yes, but why?”

“I think that whoever gave Rachel Lawson her injuries paid a visit,” Sage replied as she asked the nurse to get a hold of Dr. Brewer while she pulled out her cell phone to make a call. She looked in the direction of the girl’s room and looked around.

****

“Thanks for helping Sara but you could’ve just brought me a kit.”

“No problem Parker,” Sara replied as she went about her work processing the necklace and looking for prints. “Besides this is my area.” She looked at Sara with her toothy smile.

Sage returned it as she looked for the guy that was supposed to be taking her to see the surveillance footage. She had called the lab but found that her partners were busy so she called Grissom and asked for input. He sent Sara, who was willing, and now she was getting recoverable prints and a ten card for exemplars.

Sage looked around the room to see if anything else was amiss while Sara was doing this. She replied, “Or are you trying to get me on the race track early?”

“Maybe,” Sara replied, “Maybe I wanted to keep you on your toes.”

“Still sore that I was able to follow up with my lead before you on that armed robbery case?” Sage glanced at Sara with a slight grin. The first time they worked together was a 419 and with Grissom. They discovered they had a competitive streak when they were tracking down leads and since then were always trying to see who could outdo the other.

It was more like keeping the other challenged. Occasionally Sara would point out something Sage missed and vice versa. It was a strange way of encouragement considering that they often would heckle each other but occasionally would behave like civilized beings.

Sara felt her lip twitch into a smile as she finished her examination and managed to get a partial and lift it. She teased, “Trying to compensate for something Parker?”

“No but I like a challenge,” Sage replied as she finished her inspection. She knew that Sara printed the door handle but that looked like a mess in of itself and that was because there was the deal with the nurses and the doctor and anyone else wandering in. “I do feel sorry for Mandy.”

“You’ll make it up to her. You always do.”

“Not always. She likes to take a rain check and spring one on me.” Sage broke off the moment the tech came to get her. She glanced at Sara and said, “Thanks though for coming.”

“It’s no problem Parker,” Sara replied as she was finishing. She liked the new CSI and an upside was that it cut down on Greg’s flirting with her. “I’ll finish up here and get it to the lab. Have fun with your videos,” she said.

“Next time you bring the popcorn,” Sage countered as she followed the tech to the room to view the footage.

The next half an hour had her looking at footage that would probably bore the hell out of a normal person. For now she wasn’t normal. As Warrick put it, she was Robo-girl and she was on the war path to finding out who it was that paid their girl a visit.

Sage had a theory that it might be the guy that kidnapped them in the first place. Bob was more likely a pawn, a second in command. Brian was the first and probably raised that way. It would explain why Robbie felt so betrayed by him. It was that kind of loyalty thing that couldn’t be changed overnight. You would need to use something probably like game theory to break them apart.

“Here’s roughly ten minutes before your guy signed in at the nurses’ station,” the tech was saying.

Sage blinked slightly and nodded. “Go ahead.”

The footage moved forward and she roved her eyes over the available cameras on the floor. She needed one good shot and Archie would be able to work his computer magic. She looked until she spotted something. “There.”

The tech knew his cue and focused on the image. He cued it so they could follow him without having to sort through all the footage. “That your guy?”

Sage was focused on following the guy and barely gave a nod. She watched as their mystery man walked up, signed in and walked into Rachel’s room. There was nothing serious going on since she hadn’t coded or anything like that. Yet her eyes were narrowed and not in concentration but more along the lines that she was watching the guy that destroyed two families and two young people were going to be tormented by it for a long time. It just made her angry but she was more determined to catch the guy and prevent him from doing this again.

Her patience and waiting paid off when she got a good look of him. It was enough for Archie to play around with and she might be able to call in a favor. She kept viewing from the time he went in to the time he went out. She then said, “Okay, can I get a copy of this?”

“Been making it as we go along,” the tech replied with a slight grin. “I got you everything and even highlighted what you were looking for.”

It was probably overkill but Sage was not an expert on video and audio. She knew enough how to work with it and prepare for analysis and court but the real wizard was Archie for the graveyard shift. In her mind it was better to be safe than sorry. Besides, she had confidence that Archie would be able to sort out the things he needed. He hadn’t proved her wrong yet. So she nodded, “Thanks. That will do it.”

It didn’t dawn on her that the tech was a bit smitten with her since her focus was on the job. She gave a smile when he handed over the surveillance to her and thanked him again while she prepped the evidence envelope for it. She could hardly wait to get back to the lab to get to work on this and maybe Greg would have something from DNA.

Making her way downstairs, her phone rang. Sage gave an apologetic look to Sara and picked up the phone, “Parker here.”

Sara watched as Sage walked to her car and proceeded to open the door. She was holding onto the surveillance like it was a lifeline or something. Sara figured that she had gotten something big from it and was anxious to get back to the lab. The shift was going to officially start in half an hour and they had already been working on it for half an hour. Sara could just imagine the overtime temper tantrum the sheriff was going to throw… not that it would detract Sage.

Sage in the meantime was talking to someone she had contacted earlier before arriving at Desert Palms. She listened to the information that she had requested and with an intense look at nothing in particular. “Sure you’re sure about that?”

_Yes. Sorry Parker but that’s what I have so far. I’m still working on it. Glad you brought this to my attention._

“Yeah well you know me,” Sage replied as she tapped the roof of her car gently.

_You know I do. Don’t worry. I’ll figure out something for them both._

“Thanks,” Sage replied and gave a slight smile as she hung up. She looked at Sara and said, “See you at the lab?”

Sara nodded. She wasn’t going to pry into Sage’s business but she suspected that it had something to do with the case she was working on. She had noticed that sometimes the new CSI went above and beyond on certain cases. Certainly she occasionally lent a hand to days and swing but only as far as lab work. Anything else, that was Sage’s business but Sara wondered if she was pushing her luck in terms of energy and health.

Saying nothing about it, Sara replied, “Sure thing Parker. I’ll take care of the prints in case Mandy’s cross-eyed.”

“Just be nice,” Sage replied with a slight smile. “She’s still upset with me.”

Sara knew that she was teasing and gave a smile. She got into her vehicle and headed towards the lab. Meanwhile Sage watched Sara leave and glanced at the evidence envelope with the surveillance. It was time to get back to work so gearing up, she turned her classic baby towards the lab and sped off.


	9. Chapter 9

“Hey look at this,” Archie pointed as he looked at the images on his big screen.

Sage was finishing her phone call, “Yeah. Thanks Bobbie for the overnighter. The front had it. I’ll have it up but you know how the chain of command works.”

_Like you ever follow that. Tell your tech guy that it’s on loan… indefinitely._

“You’re too generous Bobbie.”

_I squared it away with your new lab and that Sheriff Mobley seemed surprised that it was coming because of your association with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. So have fun with it._

“Thanks Bobbie. Next time you’re in Vegas give me a call.”

_Will do Spice Girl. Later._

Sage hung up the phone and walked over to Archie. “Sorry Arch. Whatcha got for me?”

Archie gave a slight smile which turned serious as he brought up the footage she brought that was in the parking garage. It showed the image of their man getting into a vehicle, SUV. He had the still of their guy from inside the hospital up on another screen for comparison. “Well thanks to your new friend at Desert Palms, I managed to get the security footage of the parking lot and garage.”

“He’s not my friend,” Sage retorted.

“Not my fault you seem to get cooperation wherever you go,” Archie teased.

“Not everyone likes me Arch,” Sage replied soberly. “Southern charm doesn’t always work.” She sighed as she looked at the images. “So you were able to get something?”

“Yeah I tracked your guy to this SUV, Ford Escort, black and…” Archie punched in a few keys and enhanced the license plate number. “Maybe you might have an owner.” He looked at Sage to take in her expression.

Sage watched the footage. She had been paying attention to their mystery guy. She noticed his hand go into his pocket and fish out the key to the vehicle. When Archie isolated the plate number she gave a full blown smile. She couldn’t help it, “Arch you’re the best. I love you.” She gave a kiss to Archie’s cheek and said, “Get that to Brass right away. We may just get this guy.” She took off down the hall.

Archie blinked as he tried to process what just happened. He was used to Sage’s unique way of talking with the lab techs. It was especially funny the way how she and Greg interacted. This though was unexpected. She just kissed him and all because of this. He looked at the plate number he had isolated and printed it out. He made a slight face, still trying to process what happened and continued with his work. He only turned when Sage came back in and said, “Oh and that face recognition program is on loan… indefinitely.”

Archie looked at her as she leaned into his lab. He grinned, “Thanks Parker. I’ll give a trial run on our guy. You’re the best.”

Sage gave a slight shake of her head. Archie chuckled a bit as he watched her take off. He didn’t know how she did it but she always seemed to get new things into the lab to help out. How she managed to convince the sheriff to spring the money for it… he wasn’t going to go poking at that. He liked Sage Parker and she never hesitated to give a word of praise to the lab techs.

Sage was walking through the halls when Lockwood caught up with her. She paused, “Detective, what do you have?”

Lockwood had been startled when he walked through the halls looking for her. He had heard that she was like a whirlwind when she went through the lab. It was like she was full of boundless energy. He took a moment to compose himself from his brief surprise and replied, “I checked into the two survivors. Now Robbie Callen is on his own.”

“So nothing from the foster parents?” Sage looked at the detective for an answer even though she was certain that she knew the answer to that question.

“Technically he is an adult,” Lockwood replied. He didn’t like it either. “And the foster parents have another set of kids in the house. There is no room for him with him.”

“I sort of expected that. I guess it was too much to hope for acceptance out of the kindness of the heart,” Sage replied with a slight sigh. She looked off in the distance as if to think before looking back at the detective. “Anything else on Robbie’s next of kin?”

“There was talk of a grandmother possibly. Still working on it.”

Sage nodded at that. That was a start but she didn’t look forward to telling that relative why they were only getting one grandson and not two. Actually she never liked any of those interviews of informing the families. That was the hardest part of the job but she always kept in mind what Grissom was fond of pointing out; that they not only spoke for the victims but for the families.

Lockwood could see the look on the CSI’s face. He hadn’t had too many opportunities to work with the CSI from DC Metro but he had heard that she was someone who was considered pretty much a workaholic but dedicated. He pulled out the other report that he was looking into and continued, “The girl, Rachel Lawson, there was a grandfather on file… Richard Lawson.”

“He still alive?” Sage turned with an interested air. That was something. At least one of these kids could get a normal life.

“Yeah. Still the same residence. In fact he has been consistently coming in the last five years looking for any updates,” Lockwood replied. “I can call him and tell him we found her.”

“Better you than me,” Sage replied.

“I thought you were the one who had the shrink degree.”

Sage made a slight sound at that. She gave a slight look at the detective and replied, “Seems like gossip is the same here.” She chewed her bottom lip before continuing, “So you’ll call?”

“I can do that. It’ll be a while but I think that he’ll make it here in record time,” Lockwood replied, “He is coming from Laughlin.”

Sage nodded, “That’ll be good. Just be careful about mentioning Rachel’s condi—“

At that moment, Sage’s phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and then at the detective and excused herself. “Excuse me detective.”

Lockwood waited while she spoke on the phone. He was startled a bit when she turned around quickly and started speaking fast. He asked, “Everything all right?”

Sage finished her call, “Thanks Doc. No. I’ll be right over. I understand. Thank you.” She hung up and looked at Lockwood. “Our girl’s awake. Feel up to a ride?”

“Sounds good,” Lockwood replied.

Sage gave a slight smile. She knew that the girl was okay since there was a uniformed officer watching out for her. She didn’t want to take any chances and Dr. Brewer was under orders to restrict her visitors to approved visitors and the LVPD and crime lab people. Besides if Lockwood was there, they could do this by the book. “Meet you out front?”

“Sounds good.”

Sage nodded and dialed a number. Warrick was the lead on this and she knew he would fill Nick in on this. She got Warrick on the next ring and said, “Hey Warrick, our girl’s awake.”

_Really?_

“Yeah. I’m heading down there now to talk to her. I’m sure how much we’re gonna get but it will be something.”

_Alright. Nick and me are going to talk to Robbie again. See what he can remember._

Sage thought for a moment. She then said, “Archie has stills of a possible suspect. He came to see our girl earlier and left something behind. Sara collected for me and running prints with Mandy. See if he remembers. If you get a reaction, anything, we’re getting closer.”

_Maybe you should be doing this. You know what to look for._

“You’re flirting with me now?” Sage couldn’t help but tease Warrick. “I don’t know if I could keep up.” She sobered quickly and explained, “I think Robbie has that survivor instinct. He is very careful who he gives information to. He was burned by Brian so he is not going to talk.”

_Nick came up with the same conclusions._

“Really? Then I guess I am rubbing off on you guys. And I’m guessing he was talking about things that would be embarrassing.”

_You’re good Parker._

“Well the benefits of working this gig many times before,” Sage replied as she walked out to meet Lockwood in his police issued Taurus. “Find out what you can and maybe we’ll be able to catch this guy.”

_Alright. Catch you later._

“Will do,” Sage replied and she hung up to get into the Taurus.

****

Robbie was sitting in the interview room. It was becoming a familiar sight for him… much like the place where he had been held. The difference was that this place had a different air to it. He didn’t feel threatened in general and there were a few that he could trust. He felt that he could talk a little more about what happened and they would be able to…

The door opened and Nick came in with a file folder. He was alone this time but he could that someone was watching. He wasn’t stupid but it was comfortable in terms of personal space. He tapped the table as the CSI took his seat. He asked, “You find Rachel?”

Nick looked at the kid. “Yeah we did. We found the house that you took the SUV from.”

“Not a nice place is it?” Robbie gave a wry look at Nick. He tapped his fingers on the table to relieve his anxiety. “While there is some truth, it is twisted. It is not how God commands it.” He looked down feeling a bit shy about that part.

Nick listened to the kid. He had heard initially from Warrick about what they found in the house and even he was disturbed by that. “I get that.”

“Do you really?” Robbie looked at Nick in the eye.

Nick took in the look he was getting. The kid had reacted to that and narrowed his eyes at him as if questioning him and his response. Most of the time such responses were uttered to reassure the person being questioned but Nick got the feeling that this wouldn’t apply to Robbie. The kid’s posture had become a little stiff and he was aware that he was being scrutinized.

Robbie studied the CSI. He took in everything that he was wearing, the expression, the posture… everything and studied it. His eyes narrowed and he shifted them to the CSI watching through the glass and then back towards Nick. “No you don’t.”

“Excuse me?” Nick frowned in response.

“You don’t understand,” Robbie countered. He sat back and folded his arms across his chest and studied Nick some more. “You don’t understand at all. Let me ask you something: are you always agreeable to people you interview?”

Nick was quiet for a moment and then said, “Just trying to find a common ground.”

“Then don’t lie to me,” Robbie replied pointing his finger at Nick. His eyes were narrowed in anger. “Do not pretend to understand something that most people in your profession would scoff at.” He sat back and crossed his arms. “At least your partner doesn’t pretend. She doesn’t have to.”

Nick glanced at Warrick before looking back at Robbie. “Alright I get you on that. I’m not like my partner Parker but I do believe in God if that’s what you’re looking at.”

“Belief in God is the first step,” Robbie replied as he looked at Nick. He loosened his posture somewhat now that Nick was being honest with him. “You still don’t understand because you haven’t fully contemplated what Christians, true Christians believe in. Your partner does.” Robbie studied Nick some more. He then gestured with his first finger, “Let me guess: grew up going to church, told doing the right thing gets you into heaven, right?”

Nick made a slight movement of his shoulders. This was a complete change from earlier when they talked. It was like Robbie was getting on the defensive but not quite. The questions he had asked were like those that he occasionally got from a suspect that knew the drill and was trying to mess with them. He took a closer look and saw that Robbie was not trying to be an ass and not even acting like a typical suspect. He replied, “Uh… yeah I used to go.”

Robbie nodded, “So what happen? You decided that science was more practical and explained more than what Sunday school did?”

“Yeah. Why are you so interested?”

Robbie shrugged his shoulders. “Gotta know how honest you guys are. Brian was supposed to be on our side but… you know what happened there. Plus I picked up a vibe or two from you. You’re a nice guy and I’m sure your partner out there is good too but…”

“So you are just interrogating?”

“If you want to call them that,” Robbie replied as he observed Nick’s reaction. It wasn’t the kind of someone that was steadfast in being a nonbeliever. He noted Warrick’s expression as well but kept his gaze on Nick. “You know I never used to be this way but five years… seeing what I saw and doing what I did… people can change.” He looked at Nick as if daring him to challenge what he was saying but he really didn’t care.

“Understandable and ya did what ya could for your brother,” Nick replied. He wanted to get the conversation back towards the case. He didn’t want to get into his beliefs or anything even though he guessed that it was important to the kid on some level. He cleared his throat, “So we actually found Rachel.”

Robbie looked at Nick. The relief tinged his voice, “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. She’s at the hospital,” Nick replied in an appeasing tone. “She was found at the house where you took the SUV from. Can you go into detail what you were doing there?”

Robbie looked out the view window. He thought about it for a moment. The memory was fresh in his mind about the events in that house…

_It was night as all three were pushed into the house. Old Moses was waiting at the house as Bob shoved them in. Brian was quiet and looked like he had done something wrong. Robbie looked at him and then at Moses._

_“This is one time too many. You have been bad.”_

_Robbie grasped Rachel’s hand and held on. He held onto Jordan’s wrist. He said, “You can’t keep us forever. We want to go home.”_

_“You are home. You are the chosen ones. Why would you want to leave?”_

_“Because you have a pervert of a docent,” Jordan spat out. There were tears in his eyes and his features were contorted in anger. “I had enough.”_

_Robbie stepped in to put himself between Jordan and Bob and Moses. He looked at the men and was prepared to fight back. “Look, you’ve had us for five years. We aren’t what you are looking for. Just let us go.”_

_“No. You are chosen but you are a disappointment.” Moses looked at the three of them. His eyes then went towards Rachel. “She though is forgiven. You two aren’t.”_

_Robbie looked at the Moses and Bob. That was when he saw the gun. It came out and was pointed at him and Jordan…_

Robbie blinked and looked at Nick. “You said Rachel was at the hospital?”

Nick frowned slightly at that at question but he hadn’t failed to notice the expression on Robbie’s face. He had interviewed witnesses, suspects and survivors to know that the kid was remembering something and was thinking about what he saw. “Yeah she’s there and she’s fine.”

Robbie looked down at the table. He felt his temper rise. It was as he thought had happened. He didn’t want to believe it but it happened. He always knew that he had been around liars the moment he and Jordan were taken.

Rachel was considered the favorite. She did what she was supposed to do except when she could get away with it. Those were the times when she managed to make things better for him and Jordan especially when Jordan was the one that got into trouble. His little brother was always quick to act first and think things through later but he always looked up to him and depended upon him. Rachel…

Nick noticed that Robbie was frowning and was clenching his hands in fists and releasing them. Something was obviously bothering the kid and it had to do with the condition of the girl Rachel. “Hey Robbie, are you okay?”

Robbie looked at Nick like he was a crazy man. “Am I okay? Are you shitting me? You’re asking me that?”

“Just trying to find out what’s eating you,” Nick countered using placating tones. He was good with empathizing with victims and their relatives but this was out of his area. Sage was better equipped for this in his opinion and it wasn’t just because she had the shrink degree. It was like she could read and anticipate people. Then again it could be that she is like Catherine and that she was a people person.

“What’s eating me is the fact that bastard Moses couldn’t stop with me and Jordan. He had to go and hit her,” Robbie countered as he raised his voice a little. He sat back and remembered the last session before their escape.

He and Jordan had been tied down and hit with fists. After all he and Jordan were spoiled. The rod had been spared when they were kids. That was horse shit in his mind and he mentally asked for forgiveness for his cussing. Turn the other cheek but there were times you had to fight back. No one had the right to treat them as punching bags least of all Rachel. She never was hit.

“Okay and who’s Moses?” Nick decided to follow up on that line of questioning. This was the most reaction he was getting out of him so they might be close.

Robbie stopped his fist clenching. It was not good for his hands since he had cut himself with his nails before doing that and that was after Bob slapped her. There was one thing that made him pissed off more than someone hitting his brother and that was someone hitting a woman. He had been taught better than that. He started tapping his fingers on the table to try and calm himself down.

At the non-response, Nick tried again, “Robbie?” He reached over to touch the kid on his arm near the wrist.

Robbie felt the hand close around his wrist and reacted. He bolted out of his chair and knocked it over. He backed into the wall looking at Nick with a wild look and was ready to swing a punch if he got close. It was just him so he could defend himself.

Nick motioned for the uni to stay back once he realized he made a mistake. The kid was obviously worked up about this Moses guy and was probably trying to calm himself down enough to talk to him. He motioned that it was okay since Warrick was still watching and said, “Hey it’s okay Robbie. Sorry about that.”

Robbie took a deep breath when he focused and realized that he was at the police station and not… wherever he was. He looked and saw Nick and the knocked over chair. He dropped his hands and went to pick up the chair. “Sorry about that.”

Nick watched as Robbie picked up the fallen chair and set it back in its place. The kid then sat back down as if nothing happened. “It’s okay.” He slowly pulled out the still that Archie had made and slid it across the table. “Now who is Moses? Is this him?”

Robbie sat and looked at the picture. He could recognize it clearly. “Yeah. That’s the guy. He’s the one who did the hitting.”

“What about Bob?”

“Cleanup,” Robbie replied as he rubbed his wrists like they were aching. He could almost feel the ropes tighten over his wrists as he was strapped to the chair. “He tied us up, made us do the ‘chores’ and occasionally gave a hit or two.”

Nick watched Robbie rub his wrists. He could just imagine what the kid went through and then what happened in this case. “Okay. So do you know where you guys were kept? Any ideas so we could find him?”

“Jordan and me didn’t get out much. Rachel was the favorite but she always came to see us,” Robbie replied as he looked down. He pulled his covered the worst of the marks on his wrists with his hand. He looked at the picture more. “Was this taken at the hospital?”

Nick debated on what to say about that. He studied Robbie and found that he was looking at him expectantly. “Yeah it was.”

“But you have a uniform there,” Robbie stated as a matter of fact. “That’s good. At least she’s safe. Was there anyone else?”

Nick was about to ask when Warrick opened the door and motioned for him to come out. Robbie wasn’t a suspect and so far the kid hadn’t done anything serious except a typical reaction to trauma. So there was no danger of him changing his answer. He made a motion that he would be right back and came out and said to Warrick in a hushed whisper, “What?”

“Ask him about a baby.”

Nick made a frown and it was then that he noticed Greg standing there. Greg elaborated, “I tested the substance you found on Robbie’s shirt and the two dolls. Baby drool and milk.” He paused a bit and continued, “I also ran a comparison on DNA and found seven out of thirteen in common between the DNA in the baby drool and Robbie.”

“So where is the baby?”


	10. Chapter 10

The end of the shift was coming up and it seemed that they were closer but there were some things that they were pending on. The vehicle that Archie got a license plate but they got that it was registered to an elderly lady who died and the car was never reregistered. So that was a pain on that end but Brass was still digging since the car was sold for cash by the lady’s grandson.

The biggest discovery was from Greg revealing that there was a baby involved and it belonged to Robbie. He also ran the DNA collected from Rachel and the SAE kit that was collected. Familial match to Rachel with the baby, which meant that both Robbie and Rachel were the parents and it was enough to have Nick think that he had not seen it all.

Trace had come back with dirt consistent within the area of the house they found the girl and Sara was working on the prints she pulled from the necklace. Mandy was working prints for five other active cases and Sara said that she wasn’t one to pass up a chance to get one up on Parker. Nick left her at it after thanking her for the help. As far as he knew she was still at it.

Warrick was with Robbie and trying to get more about the baby out of him and gave up when Robbie shut completely down after he told him they knew. He refused to talk unless it was to someone like CPS or Sage. He then said that Moses was a bastard and broke his word like Brian did. So they were stuck but it seemed to put pressure on.

Nick felt like they were now running on a clock since they had the guy who kidnapped them out there with a baby. How old, they didn’t know but still nursing since Greg had managed to pick up traces of breast milk in the baby drool and hiccup. It made him pissed that there was a baby in the hands of a bastard that kidnapped a bunch of kids and beaten them and let one of them… He felt like making a fist with hands.

He was in that mood when he passed by the break room. The last thing he needed was coffee but he did have a couple of bottles of V8 in the fridge. As he walked in he could distinctly smell the scent of cleansers and none of the smells associated with Grissom’s experiments. He frowned as he fetched the bottle of V8 he came for and even noted that the inside of the fridge was clean.

Turning he saw some sheets of paper on the table with writing on it. Out of idle curiosity Nick took a look and went through them. He recognized Sage’s neat scrawl but it was a list of words… at least he was thinking it was a list of words. He peered to take a look at the words and see what it was since it looked repetitive in some places. He even tried saying the words and butchered them horribly even though they sounded familiar.

“I thought you said you could speak Spanish, Stokes.”

Nick looked up to see Sage come in with a case file under her arm. She headed over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water that she had stashed there earlier. He watched her take a sip and replied, “It’s rusty but this isn’t Spanish.”

“But you can read it.”

“I can but…” Nick motioned towards the sheets.

Sage gave a slight smile and leaned over. She pulled the top towards her and then began to read what she had written. She then moved onto the next sheet. At the end she paused and looked at Nick with a slight smile.

“You were conjugating French verbs?” Nick raised his brow a little at that.

Sage sat down and leaned back in the seat next to Nick’s seat. “Just something I do… when I’m angry.”

“So you feel better?”

“Not really,” Sage replied as she looked at her handwriting. She tapped her fingers on the table.

“I heard about Rachel. I’m sorry,” Nick offered. He had heard about the girl She had woken up but then went unconscious and was now in a medically induced coma. Apparently the swelling had gotten to be severe. It had been missed initially but it was lucky that they caught it in time otherwise she would be dead.

“She woke up long enough to say something about the granary and the Skylar before lapsing into unconsciousness.” Sage opened up her file folder to finish what she was doing before hanging it up for the day. “It was important to her.”

Nick knew why. He wasn’t sure if Sage knew about it. In fact he hadn’t seen her all shift so he had no idea what she had been doing aside from her road trip with Lockwood and her video time with Archie. He just sat and watched her write her notes up for the report. She was bent over the paperwork and he could tell that she was running through it doggedly. Something was on her mind. Finally he asked, “You know why?”

“I read Greg’s report and Warrick filled me in. Hence the conjugations,” Sage replied with a calmness she didn’t feel. What she really wanted to do was go home and have a session with the punching bag she kept in her garage. That or take a run around the block. Those usually worked.

Nick nodded at that. He held his bottle of V8 in his hand. “So you know about the baby.”

“That there is one and I would like nothing more than to punch the living daylights out of this bastard.” Sage gritted her teeth and put down her pen before she did anything rash with it. Putting her hands on the table she tapped her fingers and resisted the urge to make a fist.

“Well you me and Warrick are standing in line for that,” Nick replied as he watched her tap her fingers. He could tell that she was pissed and trying really hard to keep it in check.

“I get first dibs,” Sage said softly until she looked down at her file folder. She had left it on the notes from Robbins’ autopsy of Jordan. She ended up reading the definitive signs of molestation. She shut the folder since she knew that she wasn’t going to concentrate on this right now. She glanced at Nick to see he was taking a sip of his V8 and it just popped out, “You hungry?”

Nick had to work not to choke on the sip of his juice. It came out more like his was clearing his throat. “What?”

“Hungry? Breakfast?” Sage pointed at the clock on the wall of the break room to indicate the time. They could clock out early since they came in early and they were in danger of getting the heat from Mobley. Besides she couldn’t think about the case anymore.

“You’re serious?” Nick had followed her finger and noted the time. Her request wasn’t unreasonable and he was well aware that Mobley was cracking down on overtime. He was also aware that she was agitated and he could understand that.

Sage made a slight motion with her head and shoulders. “Why not? I buy this time. You can bring Warrick too.” She added the last bit to make the conversation a little more lighthearted. Besides they were all on the case and they could all use the time to think or wind down.

Nick chuckled at the look on her face. “You’re talking like I’m supposed to bring a puppy.”

“Just offering,” Sage replied. She picked up her papers and file folder. She couldn’t do anymore right now. She sighed and pushed her glasses back up and headed for the door. “Catch ya later.”

Nick stayed behind and finished his juice and threw the empty container away. Obeying the impulse that arose, he got up and followed her. She was just coming out of the locker room with her bag over her shoulder. “Diner in ten?”

Sage paused a moment as she removed her glasses and put them in their case. “Don’t kill yourself getting there Stokes.” She gave a slight smile.

It was roughly fifteen minutes later at a table near the window that they were eating. Sage had been picking at her oatmeal that she ordered with a side dish of mixed fruit. She did manage to eat some of it and make it look like she was devouring it. Her thoughts though kept wandering back to the fact that there was a baby out there and she had Robbie and Rachel. One was in a medically induced coma and the other was in lockup to cool down.

Lockwood told her before she left that when Warrick told him about Rachel, he got angry and wanted out. Warrick had managed to prevent the uniforms from hurting him. He was angry and she could understand that plus there was the fact that his child was missing.

“You intend to stare that into submission?”

Sage snapped out of her thoughts. “Sorry. I’m out to take a break and I still think about it.” She looked at Nick apologetically. She then went to eating her oatmeal after adding a bit more milk.

Nick studied her and finally asked, “This isn’t your first is it?”

“What makes you think that?” It was automatic for Sage to answer a question with a question. She did it mostly when she was trying to keep her defenses up when it hit things that were not up for discussion or she kept them buried as a motivation. It had escalated from her days in school when she had to defend herself since school was not always pleasant.

Nick was ready for the sparring session. He put his fork down and looked at her. “Just some observations.”

“List them.” Sage set down her spoon and took a sip of the hot tea that she had ordered. The lower caffeine content wouldn’t prevent her from catching a few winks.

“The fact that you wanted to take out a glass of iced tea. You conjugate verbs. You tap your fingers on the table… Come on Parker. Most people who haven’t seen a case like this before usually break down. You don’t.”

“Must be made of sterner stuff… or I’m just a freak,” Sage offered as she took another bite of oatmeal.

Nick gave Sage a look. “Don’t play coy Parker. It’s not you.”

“I used to be good at it,” Sage admitted, “Or you’re just a nosy CSI.” She paused a moment to study Nick’s expression. She always knew when to push and pull when it came to him. She folded her hands on the table and continued, “Okay. You’re right. This is not my first case dealing with crimes against kids.”

“You wanna talk about it? Cause frankly the rate you’re going… it’s like trying to go fifty miles on a congested highway or something like that.” Nick had his hands on the table indicating that he was ready to listen and talk.

“I guess you figured that out from my comment about wallowing in peanut butter.”

“Not my ideal choice for that kind of thing but yeah,” Nick encouraged with a slight smile. He did find it strange that she resorted to peanut butter as comfort food but then again he could agree that it was better than junk food.

Sage hummed a bit. She then said, “Like I said this isn’t my first. I know you’ve heard about my exploits in DC. Grapevine is like a weed here.”

“Tell me about it,” Nick agreed. He had heard the stories about her when she was barely two weeks into the job. The current stories were about her and Greg and one interesting one about her and Warrick. It made him wonder if she had been the one that started a few of those.

“Anyway the rep that me and my partner then was that homicide was our game. The Baltimore cop and the Southern belle. Highest case closure for homicide and we did have other crimes under our belt.”

“Guess that’s made you two popular with the FBI,” Nick countered. He took a bite of his breakfast. At least he knew where her dislike of the feds came from.

Sage chuckled at that as she picked up a piece of fruit with her fingers and popped it into her mouth. “Yeah well that’s what we got.” She sobered a bit as she wiped her fingertips. “It was a good cover for the other cases.”

“Cases involving kids? CPS?”

“That among other things,” Sage admitted. She took a breath that almost sounded like a sigh. “I occasionally was asked for my services as a trauma counselor while collecting evidence. My first case was a sexual assault on a minor. Victim was only nine. Since then CPS called me in on those. Sort of became more of an exclusive thing with me. My partner was the tagalong cop for the more intense situations.

“You know Stokes we see the things people do to each other and the results of that every time we’re called out. It doesn’t matter what age they are… that kind of thing is just wrong.” Sage finished and took a sip of her tea. “I know I was called a one person lab but there was a reason for that.”

“But why do it by yourself? I mean you had a team at your disposal.” Nick was curious about that.

“In actual truth, the techs processed trace and biological, etc. My CSIs had no part in the ones CPS specifically directed me. Anything that came in, dispersal as usual. Still that kind of thing never leaves you. I’ve seen adult victims and children and they all have the same face.”

Nick thought about it some. He could understand to a degree why she acted the way she did on this case. He felt the same way when it came to crimes against kids. He could remember those two boys killed and he certainly took it out on the door. He did have to ask, “Have you ever been to a scene where…?”

Sage got what he was asking about. “Yeah. Sometimes it ends up being a 419. If you’re wondering, I didn’t want to see Jordan Callen’s body because I just didn’t want to. I already saw him at the scene so…” She gave another shrug of her shoulders and picked at her fruit dish some more.

It was understandable and Nick could go with that. He thought initially that she had never done a case before that involved molestation and abuse of a minor. Then the more he watched her reaction, he changed his mind and grew curious about it. He definitely knew that she was calmer about certain things or she tried to. “At least you’re better at keeping it together than me. I ended up punching a door in,” he admitted figuring that since she gave a little, he could give a little and they were partners after all.

Sage had taken another cup of tea and was sipping it when Nick said that. She raised her brow and replied, “You?”

“Yeah.”

“I admit that I have a temper myself but you? Never thought the Texan stigma would carry over. You’re not trigger happy are ya?” She gave a slight smile to indicate that she was teasing and she wasn’t trying to be mean with it.

Nick raised his brow, “You have a temper? Most of the time when someone pisses you off you give the icy glare and no I’m not trigger happy.”

“Good so that’s one thing less I have to worry about when we catch up with this guy,” Sage replied with a slight smile. “And I do have a temper. Greg can vouch for that,” she added with a straight face.

Nick couldn’t help but laugh a little since that seemed utterly ridiculous. He had observed them together and they were as thick as thieves even when they were working in the lab. He wasn’t even sure if she knew about his hidden porn collection or any of the other weird things he kept there aside from the music. “You lose your temper with Greg? You two are as thick as thieves.”

“I never said I lost it with him now did I?” Sage corrected. “You maybe. Him no.”

“And what did I do now?”

“Just being you,” Sage replied unable to hide the smile and the chuckle that escaped. She was still smiling when she added, “And I just can’t stand you.”

Nick was chuckling too. “Me neither.”

“Can’t stand me or yourself?”

“Now damn it do you have to go all psychobabble on me?” Nick gave a mock pout.

“Just arguing semantics. You just provide the material,” Sage answered with that teasing grin she gave when she really wanted to go the extra mile on the banter.

“So I’m comedic relief then.”

“No… but you’re an okay partner.”

“So I’m okay now?”

“Girl can change her mind now can she?” She emphasized her drawl a little bit and pulled the Southern charm look that was effective in somehow getting Mobley off their backs for a time regarding overtime. Of course it was just her pointing out good logic and pointing out how beneficial it made him look.

Nick shook his head slightly as he took another bite of breakfast. That was the fun thing about Sage when they bantered back and forth. It gave the illusion that they were bickering like kids but they were joking. It was a comfortable feeling but Nick had also seen how biting her tones could be and the joke was over. Most of the time she seemed peppy and energetic; like Warrick said, she seemed to fly and it went into overdrive when she was on a case.

She also knew when to back down too or rather slow down. Granted some of her methods were a little unconventional like the peanut butter thing but it was whatever worked. He liked vegging out watching the sports channel.

“Don’t tell me you’re giving up. It’s too soon for that Stokes.”

Nick looked up as he finished his plate. “Oh it’s always on Parker. I just bide my time.”

“Element of surprise? Haven’t gotten me on that one yet.” Sage finished her fruit and pushed the bowl away. She was content with drinking her tea now.

“Really? You wanna to up the stakes that we have?”

Sage raised her brow at that. She knew he was referring to the challenge that she gave before they got this involved with the case. She agreed to tell the story about the priest with the chemistry degree and participate in something that was photo worthy if he had his ducks lined in a row. If he didn’t then he had to go to an event of her choosing. “I think it that has to be amended somewhat. Don’t you agree?”

Nick had to admit that she had him on that one but he wasn’t going to allow her the satisfaction of knowing that she was right. “That’s why I brought it up.”

“It can hardly be a race now.”

“Well I’m thinking that maybe me and Warrick can find a location before you can.” It was probably not the best idea in the world but sometimes their heckling ended up pushing each other to finish the case. More often it was when there were dead ends. He knew that Sage and Sara always poked into each other’s cases and that was something he steered clear of unless it was necessary. “Same set of rewards.”

Sage thought about it. The sticking point was finding the baby and this guy Old Moses. There were three CSIs working the case and they were at a standstill. They all wanted to find the kid and get the bastard behind bars. It did sound morbid on her end a bit and she voiced it, “Sounds a bit morbid since we all want the same thing.”

“Just a thought,” Nick offered. “There’s always the next case.”

That was true since crime didn’t know time schedules and the like. Sage learned that the first time she started working as a CSI. She had been a green rookie then and those were interesting times. They would probably be good fodder and stories around the breakfast at the diner chats. Looking at Nick after thinking for a moment she said, “If you and Warrick can find a way to locate this guy and catch him then I’ll do something photo worthy and tell that story. I’ll work on Robbie some more to help.”

Nick saw that she was not going for a competition but straight out payment for goods and services. It was also her way of acknowledging that he and Warrick were the leads on this one. “You know it’s teamwork.”

“I’m just along for the ride Stokes.” Sage smiled gently to acknowledge that she was standing firm on this offer. He could take it or leave it.

“Playing the probie card when you and I both know that you disregard it anyway?” Nick wasn’t trying to be the interrogator on this. He was simply pointing out that even though her status was probationary hire for a year she acted like she had been there for years.

“Just trying to keep my head. We’ve got a line you know,” Sage replied, reminding him that they all wanted a piece of this guy. While they probably wouldn’t be able to get him on murder or anything like that, there was kidnapping, assault and assault with a deadly weapon. There was also the child endangerment that might be a stretch. The molestation thing was Bob and he got what he deserved but that was a whole thing with Robbie and whether or not the DA will press charges for assault with mitigating circumstances or what have you.

“I know but…”

“I’m not trying a Robert Frost. I’m just sitting back but still there giving a hand. I’m not out completely,” Sage reassured the CSI.

“You sure about that?”

“Stokes, the day that I’m completely out is the day that I quit and I don’t see that for a very long time barring anything serious that happens on the job.” Sage paused a bit and tapped the table with her fingers. “I’m still on the case but I need to back away a little. I need my space.”

It sounded funny when she said that she needed her space but Nick got the picture. He raised his brow to silently ask if she was sure about that. He got her response in the same fashion and said, “Okay but you still have to do the dirty work.”

“Oh I know it,” she replied as she took another sip. “I’ll work my end and you two do yours.” She paused a bit and then asked, “Did you add Warrick because you’re admitting that you needed help?”

“Don’t even go there sister.”

“Knew it. Well two against one is better anyway,” Sage teased.

Nick grinned at that. The rest of the conversation was simple chatter as they finished breakfast. It did a lot of good as they separated to catch up on needed rest and recharge for another round in finding a missing kid and it seemed that they weren’t alone with Lockwood and Brass on the case.


	11. Chapter 11

Robbie paced agitated in the holding cell. He knew he deserved it since he had overreacted. He hadn’t meant to take a swing at the lanky tall CSI Warrick Brown but he was so… angry. He had been taught better meaning that hitting a girl was wrong. His dad said that to hit a woman was to be a coward even if the woman was capable of fighting. Women were the other half of the equation when it came to creating life but also that whole spiel about love that Robbie didn’t understand until later when he met Rachel.

She was just as scared as he was when she was brought in. That was when he and Jordan were playing along for a time. Then when the other stuff happened, she was given more privileges than he and Jordan and partly that was because they escaped one too many times or protested what they were being taught.

They all slept in the same room at night and she often cuddled next to him and they would talk. It was the only time that they weren’t watched by that pervert Bob. Then he remembered that old biddy. She was around all the time too and she had a thing for Moses. That was gross. She was the one that made sure they conducted themselves properly.

That sure flew out the window when he and Rachel got serious. Since she was the only one that had been allowed to wander around, she got to meet other guys but as she said, they were nothing like him. At the time Robbie thought it was one of those awkward compliments. In the end she managed to admit to her feelings and they talked some more. Five years was a long time and then…

“Hey, do you intend on wearing a hole in the floor?”

Robbie stopped pacing to see Sage looking at him through the bars. He continued to pace but occasionally kicking at one of the objects in the cell. “I’m…”

“You’re pissed.”

Robbie paused in his pacing and looked at her. “Yes. I am.”

Sage nodded and motioned for the officer to unlock the door and let her in. She walked in and the door closed behind her. She stood where she stopped and looked at Robbie.

Robbie looked at her and finally said, “If this is about me punching out that CSI… I’m sorry.”

Sage gave a slight smile. She saw the mark on Warrick’s jaw. “Don’t worry about it. He’s made of tougher stuff than that.”

“Gotta be if you work this job.” Robbie walked over to the bunk and sat down. He hunkered over and rested his arms over his knees letting his scarred wrists show. The gunshot wound didn’t hurt much anymore.

Sage said nothing about that and walked over to sit beside Robbie. It was a big risk considering that everyone else was saying that he was violent. She didn’t think so… at least not the kind that would fit the definition of violence in terms of a crime. “So what’s the problem?”

Robbie looked at the floor and at his wrists. “Can you answer me a question?”

“We can go back and forth if you like but understand that my questions are specific.”

“Will you use them to find her?”

“Whatever you can provide us will help.” Sage studied the youth. It wasn’t a matter of his concussion. She got the feeling that his ranting when they first met had something to do with mixing up events and blending them together. Now that he was coherent, he was separating them out and some things were things that were bad, ugly and if there was any good in there. “Can you tell me why you didn’t tell us about the baby?”

“Protecting her and Rachel.” Robbie stared at the ground for some time. Finally he looked up at Sage and said, “I know the stigma about kids having babies. I was an honor student in school. We…”

“You love each other,” Sage supplied.

“And the proper response is that you would ask what do I know about love,” Robbie shot back in a deadpan tone. “I know quite a bit.”

“And maybe that suggested response would work under normal circumstances but in this case it is not.” Sage studied the kid some more. She could see that he was not a bad kid. He did seem to really care about Rachel and from what had been told of his reactions, she was not one to judge too harshly. “How old is your daughter?”

“Couple of months. Her name is Rebekah.” Robbie felt the tears come. He felt ashamed but he was tired and he still had a mile to run.

“That’s a pretty name.”

“It’s spelled like the Rebekah from the Bible,” Robbie supplied. “It was the one time he didn’t punish me or Jordan. It was when she was born.” He wiped a tear away and sniveled a bit. “She’s beautiful… perfect.”

Sage could recall when she first held Cassie as a baby. She didn’t quite understand the feeling but she got that there was something about babies that just melted your heart. She had been enthusiastic to have a baby sister and loved her the moment she set eyes on her. Even when things were tough and the way things were now, she still loved her sister. “I thought the same about my sister when she was born but it’s different when you know you created life huh?”

“I guess. It’s hard to describe, the joy and everything. And Rachel was a trooper.”

 _I’ll bet._ Sage could only imagine what it was like if there was no access to medical help or if there was then no one was talking. “I know you know she’s in the hospital.”

“He hit her,” Robbie said as a statement of fact. “He hit her because she wanted to run with us. We wanted to be free.”

“I’m with you on the fact that I’m pissed he hit her too,” Sage countered. She sobered a bit since the next part was going to be hard. “Listen, I was there and she’s okay but they induced a coma because there is swelling in the brain. She was hit pretty hard.”

“Bastard.”

“We suspect that it might be from a statue of a saint. We didn’t find it at the house.”

“Probably at the ranch. It’s what he called it. Mostly it looked like a dump the few times Jordan and I actually got out.” Robbie clasped his hands together and rubbed his palms. He studied the scars that were forming and the ones that had faded. “You’re probably looking for the statue of St. Agnes. It was the odd ball of the lot but Moses got it because of Rachel.”

“I’m familiar with St. Agnes. Her name has roots to lamb and she is described as gentle,” Sage replied at an attempt to establish grounding even though she already had it. She was trying to make it easier for Robbie since he was the key.

“You don’t need to impress me CSI Parker,” Robbie replied with a slight smile.

“No?”

“I can tell that you know about that kind of thing. It’s your job to know things.” Robbie looked at Sage with a pleasant smile. He felt a little better about the whole thing and ready to give more if he were asked. “On the other hand, you understand because you have Him in your life.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like I told your partner… Nick… you understand because you believe. It is rare to find someone who believes and does the work you do,” Robbie explained. “You know because you are a believer.”

Sage nodded a little. She didn’t wear much in terms of Christian paraphernalia. She surmised that Robbie noticed the Bible she was holding and made the connection and she was there at the church. “How did you come to that?”

“Your Bible and the song you sang.”

“You mean when I quoted it? It was something to say at the time but I can see your point. I do tend to refer to that hymn. It is my favorite and one of the first my grandmother taught me,” Sage explained. She cleared her throat slightly and continued, “I think it helped in convincing Rachel to wake up a bit.”

“Come Thou Fount is her favorite too,” Robbie replied with a smile, “She told me that her mom used to sing it to her at night. Her favorite verse began O to grace how great a debtor.”

Sage smiled a bit. “That is a good one. Robbie, when Rachel woke up she said something about a granary and Skylar. Can you think of why she would tell me that?” She looked at Robbie determined to get an answer and willing to push but she got the idea that he would tell her what he could.

Robbie felt his eyes widen slightly at the mentioning of the name. He replied, “Skylar is the name of the dump ranch. It was a dump because there was a lot of junk and maybe a couple of horses. Me and Jordan mucked stalls quite a bit.”

“Was there a granary there?”

“Yeah but nothing was put in there of if there was… the bugs would have gotten to it. Moses stored bread in there and then when it was gross out it came. I don’t know why.” Robbie looked at Sage, “Is Becky there?”

“You tell me Robbie. Any landmarks you can tell me about the place. We know it was in the vicinity of the house you escaped from and that you walked there.” Sage adopted a similar posture that Robbie was taking. It gave for a more casual environment and it relaxed Robbie a little more even though he was comfortable with her.

Robbie thought about it. He recalled everything he could remember from the times that he and Jordan had been outside. He could hear the noises and see things as he thought about it. He remembered some of the weird chores and some of the other things.

Sage let him think about it for a time. While the evidence never lied and people did, memories helped too. Of course they were human and they could fail at times but she knew a few things about trauma victims. There was denial that it ever happened and then there were those that remembered. They remembered everything and it depended on what they did with it. She had seen it go both ways before.

“Horses,” Robbie answered, “We mucked out stalls. There was the roofing job. The granary. Had a picture of a bird.” He kept trying to remember. He did remember the one time he was in the granary and his eyes opened wide. “Bugs… worms. Lots of them.”

Sage noticed that he was starting to panic a bit. She was not the kind of person to make fun of phobias since she had one that people would laugh at. She put a hand on Robbie’s shoulder, “It’s okay. You’re here at the LVPD headquarters. Nothing’s gonna happen to you.”

Robbie managed to slow down his breathing and breathe normally. He hated the granary. He knew what was down there. “Sorry. I just don’t like worms. They look slimy.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Sage soothed. She felt that she had enough to help out Warrick and Nick and provided that they got stuff from trace on the dust and the other things that they collected. It would help narrow the scope and Brass and Lockwood were on standby to help. “Do you happen to know what kind of a bird was on the granary?”

Robbie thought about it. He described, “Brown on top and pale on the chest and stomach and a fluffy do.” He motioned with his hands as he thought about it some. It then came to him like a revelation and he clapped his hands together as he made a connection. “Like that skinny guy that was talking to the CSI that I punched. And there’s the old biddy. She made us ‘behave’.”

Sage gave a slight look at that. He described Greg’s hairstyle pretty well and at least she had an idea about what to look for. It was still going to be a search. Still it was more than what they had before and she was the optimist. “Thank you.”

She got up to stand when Robbie asked, “You will find her?”

Sage had signaled for the guard to let her out when Robbie asked the question. She turned and asked, “Do you know your Bible?”

“The only thing I’ve been able to read for the last five years,” Robbie replied.

“My favorite verse and one I think about every day is Proverbs 3:5. Trust the Lord with all your heart.” Sage studied the boy as he sat looking up at her. “I remind myself that every day even when the bad things happen.”

“I knew you were a believer,” Robbie replied with a smile.

“We’ll find Rebekah. That I promise,” Sage said looking at the kid. She stepped out of the cell and continued out of holding. She sighed as she walked hoping that they would find where that baby was and get this bastard and that bitch.

****

“I got your results on that substance you sent from Robbie’s shoes. It’s a mixture of horse turd and tar. More specifically roofing tar.”

Warrick looked at Greg and then Nick. “Well that narrows the scope a bit.”

“Don’t be a doubting Thomas,” Greg said. “Your soil samples are consistent and there’s the worms you got.”

“Isn’t a doubting Thomas who questions?” Nick gave Warrick a slight smile as he went to looking back at the map. On it was marked where the accident scene was, the house where Rachel had been and the location of the dust and plant traces that were consistent.

“Yeah well Sara gave me a swab and I was in the religious mood,” Greg replied. He handed the report over. “By the way, epithelials list as unknown male probably your guy.” He looked at the map and the markings. “You know mealworms are attracted to grains. They eat the stuff.”

“Been listening to Grissom again?” Warrick looked at Greg.

“No I actually grew the things for biology class,” Greg replied. “You know a granary would be the best place to find them. That and rats.” He left to go finish some work on other cases after pointing at the duo.

“Well that narrows it down,” Warrick replied feeling a bit frustrated. “Granaries are used on farms.”

“Of if you’re storing feed,” Nick pointed out. He recalled the granary storage at the ranch back home in Texas. His parents had a nice stock of horses and a lot of them and they used a specialty brand that they kept under controlled conditions.

“But on Robbie’s shoes there were horse turds. Why would there be mealworms in the granary then?” Warrick looked up confused.

“There would be if it was used for something else.” Sage came walking in. She had stopped by and talked to Archie about making a query for ranches and holdings that recently had tarring done or ordered anything as well as a list of properties with granaries. “Robbie mentioned that it wasn’t used for grain feed but bread was put in there and when it was crap it was removed.”

“You’re thinking that it was being used to hide something else?”

Sage looked at Nick and Warrick, “Possibly but not much to go on. Moses was clever in keeping the boys separate from Rachel. The boys were kept inside most of the time and it looked like Rachel was given free reign with the exception of nights.” She looked at the map and then at the two CSIs. “They kept it quiet,” she added with a slight smirk.

“I am not even going to ask how you managed to get that out of the kid,” Warrick said as he held his hands up in mock surrender.

Sage looked at the lists that Archie pulled for her and started marking on the map with a marker pen. She gave a slight smile and replied, “That is something for me to know and for you to figure out ye of little faith.”

“Oh I have faith but I don’t know what you operate on,” Warrick teased as he watched her mark the map. “What do you have?”

“Well Robbie mentioned tarring jobs and described the granary. He also said that the ranch was a dump but the funny thing was there were horses.” Sage looked at her list and cross checked. “So I had Archie check for purchases of roofing tar or any kinds of tar lately and if any of the properties had a granary…”

“And you found them.” Nick crossed his arms over his chest.

“Well there are six with granaries and all have horses,” Sage replied as she finished. “Only one has a picture of a bird on the granary and according to Robbie… it looks like a dump.” She straightened and looked down at the map.

“And all of them are within the area nearby the house we found Rachel in.” Warrick made a slight face as he looked down at the map.

“So how are we going to narrow down the scope?” Nick looked at Sage and Warrick and the map.

“Guesswork,” Sage joked knowing that the main rule usually was that the shortest distance was science. At their looks she gave a slight smile, “Or we could base it off the probability of walking distance as long as we take into account the possibility of injury and the fact that they most likely had the baby with them.”

“Well we did find the two dolls,” Nick pointed out. “Robbie could have carried them and at some point carried him.”

“Her,” Sage corrected. “Her name is Rebekah.” She had a straight look on her face when she said it before bending over and pulling a pencil out. She grabbed some tape and made a makeshift compass and estimated her angle. She put the pencil point on the house. “Now there were four of them and the baby.”

“Well the boys Jordan and Robbie had experience with escaping,” Nick pointed out. “They could go much faster since they knew the way out and the ways towards the house.”

“And Rachel wasn’t used to it. She was the favored one and allowed a bit more freedom and more likely she had never been outside wherever she was being kept.” Warrick looked at the map as Sage made the adjustments. She ran her finger and traced and invisible line as she made mental calculations. “Your math right?”

“Just taking into account certain factors,” Sage replied as she continued her train of thought. “Now I’ve read accounts and runaway slaves back home in the day were known to have gone quite a distance on foot if they were carrying loads as heavy as a baby.”

“And would home be bayou country?”

“Most assuredly,” Sage replied. “However given that both boys had ligature marks and Brian had more substantial injuries the radius is narrowed even further.” She made a circle with her compass around the map.

“That narrows it down to three,” Warrick countered.

“Better than the six,” Sage replied.

“Ever the optimist, aren’t you Parker?” Nick gave a smile of encouragement.

Sage gave a slight grin, “I prefer to think half full. That and a few choice quotes I keep in mind.

“Well maybe I can help you on that,” Sara said as she walked into the room they were in. She cast a grin at Sage, “After all I can’t let Parker fall asleep behind the wheel.”

“I don’t fall asleep,” Sage retorted giving the slightest of grins. “I prefer the wait and see approach.” She gave a slight wink in Nick’s direction hinting at their previous conversation. She could tell he got it because he gave a slight motion of his hand in return. She turned her attention to Sara, “So hit me.”

If the playful punch by Sara surprised the two males they didn’t say anything. Both women were smiling anyway and they sobered as Sara explained her findings, “Well the prints I got off that cross gave me a hit.” She put the booking photo she had on file, “Meet Mark “Moses” Stratton, booked for disturbing the peace and assault. As it turns out he was a tent evangelist who really stressed the end of the world kind of thing and ended up losing it during one of his sermons.”

“So he really is a crazy,” Warrick said recalling what Brass had said earlier.

“You got lucky,” Sage replied still keeping her attention on Sara. She crossed her arms over her chest and began to rub her finger on her chin in a thoughtful manner. She muttered mostly to herself but it was loud enough for everyone to hear, “So that would be why he took these kids.”

“During his last sermon he said that the chosen ones would lead them to salvation and from the wilderness, from the desert… and so on,” Sara motioned to emphasize her point.

“I hope you have a location on where they were supposed to come out of the desert,” Warrick said looking at Sara.

“I do have something,” Sara replied with that look that almost seemed expressionless at times. “Moses actually had properties, a pretty big deal considering he preached from a tent. One was a ranch property. The guy was a horse buff and…” Sara took the makeshift compass and removed the marker pen. She drew a circle around one of the three that was inside their radius, “Your ranch is this one.”

“Well the owner was under a different name but that could probably be how he managed to keep it and still be a preacher,” Sage replied almost spitting the word preacher out. “So let’s get going.”

“Wait, the property doesn’t list a granary,” Sara pointed out.

“Best bet,” Warrick countered. “It is within the area that they could have come from.”

“And it may have been added later,” Nick pointed out.

Sage studied it. It was their best bet. She was anxious to find the baby and she could tell the others were too. They had to be smart about it though and make sure that the evidence supported it. As much as she wanted to say she felt it in her gut and she was sure that the others did too, they needed to have sufficient basis. She looked at Warrick since he was the lead, “Your call.”

Warrick took a look at the map. “I’ll call Brass.”

Ten minutes later they were heading out to Stratton’s ranch near Boulder City. It was late afternoon and the dusk was already setting in. Sage looked out the window on her side of the Tahoe and looked at the landscape and then forward. Her fingers tapped on the sill while she patiently endured Warrick’s driving that was nothing like hers when she was teasing rookies. They would get this guy.


	12. Chapter 12

The place was a dump as Robbie described it. Warrick, Nick and Sage waited while Brass moved forward with Lockwood and their uniforms to secure Moses and the old biddy who was actually named Martha. There was junk around to indicate that it wasn’t that well-kept except for a few areas. The main house was pretty well kept to the point that it wasn’t falling down.

Sage looked around and spotted the granary and moved a bit to get a better look. She stepped around and peered at it. She could make out a faded image of a bird on the side. Not too far off were the stables and she could make out a couple of horses. There were no signs of crops or anything else viable in terms of being able to live out here.

They did manage to find out that a local market was frequented by their suspect. The manager had been helpful with that and Sara offered to collect the surveillance from there. The manager even confirmed that Martha and Rachel had been in there. It gave credence to the fact that Rachel had extensive freedom of movement. No mentioning of a baby with them but she was there.

“Clear,” Brass called as Moses and Martha were led out.

That was the signal for the search to begin as well as process the scene. All three CSIs wanted to make sure that the suspects got a conviction that was solid. Warrick went into the main house while Nick processed the perimeter. Sage made a beeline to the granary.

“Watch your step probie.”

Sage turned to look at Nick and gave a wry look and sidestepped away from the pile of horse turds that she could have stepped in. She adjusted her sunglasses and continued on her way to the granary. She kept her eyes peeled for anything that might be relevant to their case. She made it to the granary and took a look at the image.

She had a chance to look up the bird or rather had information given to her by Nick. She described the bird and he told her that what she was describing was a skylark. She thanked him for that and said that bird watching was a good hobby right in front of Warrick who laughed. She had no idea that the joke was that Nick watched too much television nor did she notice that she produced a smile on his face. Looking at the image, she managed to get a picture of the outside of the granary and thought about how much sense Rachel’s comments were starting to make.

Finding the door, Sage looked at it and checked for anything unusual. Slowly she opened it and peered in flashing in her Mag Lite. There were traces of grain… really old grain on the floor. By all accounts it looked like it hadn’t been used in a long time. Well it would have been not used save for the consistent and current trail from the door to another door in the floor.

Ignoring the fact that there were mealworms and what may look like a rat in the grain, Sage walked towards the door. It was unlocked and it was easy to get it to open. Holding her camera in one hand, she pried the door open and shined her light in to reveal a set of stairs heading downwards in a spiral. It certainly brought to mind the dungeon thing. She paused when she heard a slight sound and turned her head to hear better the sound.

It came forth again but it was very faint. It did sound familiar but she had to be sure and paused to listen. It was as she thought and she frowned. Her suspicion though was overrun by the urge to rush down there. It was quick work to go down the stairs even with the silver field kit in her other hand and the light in the other.

She slowed as she came down near the bottom and the sound was louder. She flashed her light around the area at the bottom of the stairs. It looked like the underground bunkers she once was processing. It was a crime scene where it involved a male being kept chained down there and he was dressed in a suit dating back to the 1950s. He had been mummified and the suspect had this idea the guy was her husband. She was unprepared for what she found when she stepped through the door.

The room looked like it was lived in. It was modeled like the inside of the house. It was déjà vu of that bunker case. The layout of the room was full of furniture; someone had been living down there… at least someone. Sage looked around at the meticulous nature of everything; everything was clean and neat. She couldn’t help but mutter, “Good housekeeping.”

She continued walking through and followed the sound that had drawn her attention. She opened a slightly opened door with her light. She walked into a room with a cautious air and found a small bed, the size for a small child and a crib in the corner. There was a chest for toys as well as dressers; it was a kids’ room. The crib though caught her attention but a bit of noise distracted her.

Following the scuffling sound, she squatted next to the large nightstand. She squatted very quietly and listened. She heard scratching on the inside and gave a slight smile. Resting her hand with the light on her knew, she knocked with her free hand gently. “Hello?”

The scuffling stopped and she heard some whimpering. She gave a slight smile and spoke in a gentle tone, “Hey I’m Sage Parker. I’m with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. I’m here looking for Rebekah.”

“Becky left with Rachel.”

The voice was muffled but Sage could hear the scared voice. She was guessing five maybe six. She replied, “I know. We found Rachel and we found Robbie.” She paused when she heard the slight movement. She nodded with a slight smile. “Now we couldn’t find Becky. Do you want to help me?”

There was some movement but no noise. Sage listened and then added, “I won’t hurt you.”

“Will you help me find my mommy?”

“Of course,” Sage replied.

There was a slight pause and the door creaked open. Out of the stand came a tousled mop of light brown hair and a pair of brown eyes that reminded her of a cousin that had a similar appearance when they were kids. The expression was scared but hopeful as the little boy peered at her. Sage smiled and held out her hand and said, “It’s all right.”

The boy tentatively took her hand and allowed Sage to pull him out. He stood looking at her while she kneeled to be eye level. He regarded her and asked, “Are you going to find Becky?”

“Well,” Sage replied with a slight smile, “How about you help me? Here, you can see with this.” She gave her light to the boy and put on her gloves. “You wanna tell me your name?”

“Sam.”

Sage smiled, “Okay Sam. Why don’t you help me find Becky?”

Sam held the flashlight in one hand and with the other took Sage’s hand. His small fingers curled in her hand and held fast as he pulled her gently towards the crib. He said, “We found Becky.”

Sage looked down at Sam and nodded, “Yes we did. Good job Sam. Do you want to hold my light while I check and make sure she’s okay?”

Sam nodded and held the light. He pointed it in all directions of the room to shine the light. Sage smiled as she peered into the crib. She saw the baby gurgling and cooing looking up at her. From all appearances she looked okay but she had to check for fibers and anything else. She smiled at the baby and made slight sounds while she pulled out her tweezers and an evidence envelope since she spotted some fibers. Her back was turned towards the door and she failed to notice something in the hall until she felt Sam press against her.

****

Nick was taking pictures of shoe prints outside the house and the yard around the horses. He recognized some of the treads but he knew he needed to get treads from Moses and Martha. Still was able to get a few good shots and he had good ones to cast molds. He had those done and was looking around for anything else.

Out in plain sight was a set of rope. It looked consistent with the ligature marks that had been photographed on Robbie and Jordan. He also found a strange contraption that looked like a harness. It reminded him a bit of the harnesses that parents put on kids when they were learning to walk.

_Jordan was subdued by one man and the harness put on. It was locked with the chain and padlock. The other end was welded to the post of the corrugated shed. The same was done to Robbie. The only space they had to wander was the length of the chain._

Nick looked at his findings thinking that this was like a slave operation or something. He managed to find a biological and it tested for blood. He collected swabs of the chains and the harnesses. He was interrupted by Warrick coming out toting a statue. Looking at his friend, “You found it?”

“Yeah it was in the room that was probably Moses’. I found blood on the base of the statue and a bunch of prints. Won’t have trouble with him.” Warrick looked at the statue with a satisfied look. “I got other things in the house. Mostly religious stuff. I’ll let Parker sort that out since she knows what it is.”

Nick gave a slight smile at that. “Yeah I think I got restraints that the boys would have been held with when they were allowed outside. Swabbed it and collected it.”

“Man this had to be brutal,” Warrick replied. He spotted a blowtorch and pointed it out. “Brian had burns right?”

“Yeah man.” Nick shook his head. He frowned a bit, “Any sign of the baby?”

“Not in the house.”

“Probably in the granary. Parker will find her,” Nick replied. He turned to see Brass and Lockwood hauling in Moses and Martha into the patrol car. Something occurred to him. “Hey Rick, did you find anything to indicate another person was in the place?”

Warrick was looking at a crucifix on the wall of the shed. He didn’t process since Nick was doing that. He came out and looked at Nick staring at what Brass and Lockwood was doing and replied, “Well there were two bedrooms that were characteristically masculine and two that were feminine. One was decorated like a little girl’s room but…”

“I’m just thinking,” Nick turned to look at Warrick. “Rachel was hit across the head and looking at that… it’s pretty heavy. Look at Moses and Martha. They are bent over… elderly. It would explain why Rachel’s contusions weren’t fatal.”

Warrick looked at the statue of St. Agnes. It would be top heavy and for someone who couldn’t really lift the weight and the swings would be off and Rachel would have been able to dodge the brunt of the blow. “Right so how would Robbie and Jordan be made to get into this?”

“They could be made to…” Nick paused a moment. He noticed something in the shed. He walked in and noticed something. The shed had another door and it looked like it had been opened recently. There was also another bed, a cot, and bedding and some stuff that had been knocked over hastily. He peered out the door and saw a clear path to the granary. He pulled out his gun, “Warrick, get Brass.”

Nick didn’t wait but headed towards the granary at a run. Even though it was urgent, he had the presence of mind not to disrupt any evidence. He didn’t see Warrick or Brass trying to catch up but headed inside and down the stairs. He slowed when he heard scuffling and would have called out but he didn’t want to be a fatal distraction.

There was more scuffling and Nick hurried but looked around. There was a loud clump and a baby crying. It was easy to think worst case scenario and that was what Nick thought as he bust open the door. He held his gun up only to be shouted at by Sage. He realized that she was holding her gun at a suspect that was on the ground and looked a little unconscious. He looked at her and blinked.

There wasn’t much time to say anything since Warrick and Brass were barging in. Their steps could be heard on the stairs. It sounded like a herd of stampeding horses. Brass called out, “Everything all right?”

Nick looked at Sage who had lowered her gun and had it holstered and a small boy hugging her hip. He kept his gun on the suspect and called, “Down here Jim. We got one.” He looked at Sage and asked, “Are you all right?”

Sage made a slight face to hide the fact that she was still on her adrenaline rush and had been scared by that sneak attack. Her attention was directed to Sam who was clutching her around the waist and holding onto the flashlight. She did manage to get out, “Yeah, we’re okay.”

By that time Brass and Warrick had come in. Brass moved in to handcuff the suspect and haul him to his feet. He took a look at the guy’s face and raised his brow, “Whoa. You give the guy a new look Parker?”

Sage made a slight face at that as she picked up the baby who was crying. She was trying to soothe her but she did manage to look at Brass. She took a look at the suspect and said, “I guess I went a little overboard.”

Warrick and Nick took a look at the suspect. A nasty looking bruise was going to form on the guy’s eye. There was also a fat lip forming and he looked a little stunned. Warrick couldn’t help but say, “I don’t know. No one would even suspect you could do that Parker.”

“There’s a lot of things that people couldn’t suspect me of doing,” Sage replied making a slight smile. She adjusted the baby in her arms just as she cooed from being put into a better position to cuddle.

“Are we going to find my mommy now?”

Sage looked down at Sam who was still holding tight to her. He was still holding the Mag Lite and it was pointing at Brass as he took away the suspect. She used her free hand to rub Sam on his head. “It’s okay Sam.” She looked at Warrick and Nick who were staring at her. She returned the look with one of her own, “What are you two looking at?”

Nick managed to holster his weapon and raised his hands in the surrender motion. Warrick did the same thing but both were grinning a bit. Nick said, “Nothing Mama Goose.”

Sage shot him a look as she took the lead and led Sam out since he seemed disinclined to let her go. She looked back at them and said, “Just for that you two can clean this up by your lonesome.” She was chuckling on the way up.

****

“So DNA is really tiny?”

“Uh-huh and I use this to tell me who it belongs to,” Greg said as he showed the small six year old boy the machine that he was using to work with. “It’s how I was able to tell that Becky was missing.”

Sam watched as Greg put another set of samples into the machine. He adjusted the goggles he had been given and watched Greg. He moved his head like a puppy would when they were curious about something. “You have funny hair.”

Greg looked at Sam and smiled. He pointed at his head and said, “This, my little man is style. Ask Sage and she’ll tell you.”

“Tell you what?”

Sam looked up to see Sage walk in with a file folder. He grinned big and said, “That his hair is style.”

Sage gave a smile at Sam. The ranch had been processed and evidence was collected. The three suspects were in holding and read their rights. It was a relief to have found the baby and a surprise to find Sam. Rebekah had been returned to Robbie and that was teary eyed in of itself.

The DA decided not to file charges against Robbie. There was also word that the swelling had gone down and that Rachel was going to be fine. It was made better by the fact that Mr. Lawson, Rachel’s grandfather met Robbie and his great granddaughter and it looked like things were going to go well for the family.

Being a licensed shrink, Sage was able to talk to the grandfather and explain a few things. Mr. Lawson ended up being grateful that his granddaughter was found. He had been devastated when his son and daughter in law had been killed and Rachel had gone missing. He admitted to holding onto hope that she was still alive even though it had been five years. He ended up thanking all three CSIs and praising God for them.

As of now, Rebekah and Robbie were at Desert Palms getting checkups since Robbie needed to have his gunshot wound looked at. Mr. Lawson went with them and of course they would be able to see Rachel. Mr. Lawson had confided to her that it didn’t matter that they hadn’t gotten married, but he would let Robbie stay with him, Rachel and Rebekah at his house. He said that they had been raised right and would do well by Rebekah.

Sam, they had been waiting on. Since the boy refused to go anywhere without Sage, he was taken to the lab. He talked to the other CSIs but was shy and hid behind Sage. Sara had teased her horribly about her taking over Catherine’s job as the understanding mom. Catherine made it worse by agreeing with her but in the end they laughed over it and Sam decided to come out and be amiable. He was okay to stay with Greg.

It was Nick that found the information that they needed. He showed her the file, “Sam Weston aged six and was reported missing three weeks ago at the grocery store.”

“Usually the easiest way to snatch and grab,” Sage replied as she read the report.

“Yeah but what gets me is that all the time we had Robbie, no once did he mention that there was a little boy.”

“You said it yourself. Survival instinct,” Sage pointed out. She looked at Nick and explained, “He was feeling us out and determining if he could trust us. I would do the same thing. In the case of Sam, I think he was protecting him like he would his brother. By not telling us about him, he was protecting him from harm. He probably felt that Jordan’s death and Rachel’s injuries were his fault for saying anything.”

“That’s pretty deep, Parker.”

“The human mind is a complex thing with the ability to think and reason; the main characteristic that separates us from the animals. Couple that with emotions and you’d be surprised at the walls, the illusions that in fact seem like reality… Brave New World,” Sage explained. “That and Robbie has highly developed protective instincts. He and Jordan probably had an excessive codependence upon each other. They would protect each other to the death and in Jordan’s case literally. Sam… another person that Robbie saw should be under his protection.”

“So he was protecting Sam,” Nick confirmed. He thought about it for a moment and nodded, “I’ll buy that and you’re the shrink.” He gave a slight grin at the look Sage shot him. He knew that she didn’t like reference to her behavioral analysis degree. “Hey your area,” he allowed, “So I contacted the mother, Mary Weston and she’ll be down to pick him up.”

It was when they were walking and talking about this that they came across Sam and Greg having a chat and she caught the last bit of their conversation. She listened to Sam’s response and smiled, “Well I’ll tell you something, I’m about style but Greggo perfected it.”

“And him?” Sam pointed at Nick. He had pushed his goggles up so they were like clear sunglasses.

Sage cast a mischievous look in Nick’s direction. She then looked back at Sam and said, “He is the Lone Texas Ranger.” She gave a slight wink.

Sam couldn’t help but giggle. He saw the look Nick gave and laughed some more. He then said, “She’s right. You’re like a superhero.”

“Now look what you’ve done Parker,” Nick replied in mock indignation.

“Sorry Stokes, you just didn’t fit in the perfection of style,” Sage replied with a slight grin that indicated that she was teasing him. She looked at Sam and said, “Well Sam, we found your mom and she’s on her way here. Lone Ranger here found her.”

Sam looked at Nick and literally jumped off the stool and grabbed Nick around the waist. Greg was snickering as he went back to work. Sage stood there smiling smugly at Nick but with a hint of teasing.

It wasn’t too long to wait for Mary Watson to come to LVPD headquarters. Lockwood had greeted her and was explaining the situation. Sage could see that she was a nice woman and that she had been really missing her son. That much was clear when Mrs. Watson saw Sam coloring in one of the interrogation rooms with Brass and the child services rep.

As Mrs. Watson went into the room and called to her son, Sage couldn’t help but smile. She leaned against the wall as she watched mother and son hug and the tears of joy happened. Mrs. Watson was thanking Brass and Lockwood for everything. She felt her throat convulse with emotion as she observed until a cup of coffee was held out to her. Looking at the owner of the hand holding out the coffee, she took the cup and said, “Thanks.”

“I know how you get when you run low on your caffeine,” Nick said as he held a cup he had picked up for himself. He turned to watch the scene that Sage was observing and said, “Looks like all’s well that ends well.”

Sage took a sip and replied, “Looks like it.” At the back of her mind she was thinking about the bodies in the morgue.

“I heard that Robbie is not going to get charged. Warrick didn’t want to press charges,” Nick said after clearing his throat slightly.

“I know.” Sage paused a bit to think a little bit. She then looked at Nick, “You know why I do this job?”

“I’m going to guess it’s not because of the science.”

“That is a factor,” Sage admitted. She looked at the scene and motioned towards it. “That’s why. I know we speak for the victim but seeing that… the whole seeing the closure… it’s worth it. Even with all the bad stuff. Probably I would have quit a long time ago with what I told you but… well it sounds a bit crazy but I feel it is my calling.”

Nick studied Sage a bit. “You mean like God telling you it’s your job?”

Sage shrugged her shoulders. She wasn’t sure if he would understand. “I believe that. Haven’t you ever felt it in your gut that thing that drives you to do whatever? That’s what I feel and I believe in the power of science to explain things that were once declared magic. We all pray to some higher power, even the atheists; we search for truth, the answer to the question that we are not alone.”

“You’re going back to what you said when we started this case,” Nick replied.

“Still holds water for me.” Sage would have said more but Sam had called out to her and then ran to give her and Nick a hug before going back to his mom. He turned and waved good-bye before leaving and the CSIs waved good-bye back.

“So another good job done probie,” Nick said, teasing Sage.

“I’ll agree to that Stokes,” Sage replied as she raised her coffee in a toast. She started walking with Nick. “Now I believe I owe you a story.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I gave my word and you did too,” Sage reminded him. “So you wanna hear this?”

“Hit me.”

“Well I was twelve and there was this one priest, a reverend I should say by the name Jacob. The joke was he was called Father Israel…”


End file.
